Activities Canceled as Air Quality Advisory Remains in Place

The statewide air quality advisory issued by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) yesterday remains in effect today, July 16, and a number of activities around the county are now canceled as Canadian wildfire smoke continues to drift across New York State, causing air quality to worsen.

The Oswego County Youth Bureau announced that Camp Zerbe’s day camp program in Williamstown was canceled for today, June 16, as well as the wiffleball mini-season planned at Legends Fields in Oswego today. The team handball mini-season begins on Monday, June 20 as scheduled. The Challenger Softball and Mentor Program planned for this evening at Legends Fields is also canceled. It will resume next Tuesday and Thursday, July 21 and 23 as scheduled.

The Oswego County Mobility Management Office announced the postponement of its shuttle service for the weekly farmers’ market in the city of Oswego. The agency will launch the fifth annual transit service next week, Thursday, July 23.

The advisory was put into place due to fine particulate matter in the air caused by wildfires burning across Canada, including northwestern Ontario. The atmosphere over New York’s Eastern Lake Ontario region, which includes Oswego County, is rated as “very unhealthy.” The air quality advisory remains in effect until 11:59 p.m.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Oswego County’s air quality is also rated as “very unhealthy” with an index of 209 as of 11 a.m.

Oswego County Public Health Director Vera Dunsmoor said yesterday that exposure to particle pollution can cause short-term health effects such as irritation to the eyes, nose and throat; coughing; sneezing; runny nose and shortness of breath.

“As the air quality worsens, people with heart and lung disease, older adults, children and teens should take extra precautions and avoid outdoor physical activities,” she said. “We encourage everyone to continue checking the air quality index and try to limit the amount of time they are active outside, if possible. They may even want to take further precautions by moving outdoor activities inside or waiting until the air quality improves before being active outdoors.”

Other precautions include keeping windows and doors closed to protect indoor air quality and using air purifiers or air conditioners with high efficiency filtration if available. The federal EPA also recommends respirators such as N-95 masks to help filter out smoke and ash particles from the air.

The Oswego County Health Department received N-95 masks from the state and its staff will deliver them to cooling centers, including all libraries, around the county today. Due to limited supply, only two masks per person will be issued. People are advised to call ahead to the cooling center to ensure that it has masks available.

Go to Oswego County’s online map of cooling centers for locations and contact information. Click on “Beat the Heat” to go directly to the map or “Cooling Centers” on the Oswego County Health Department’s website for details. For help, call the health department at 315-349-3545.

The Oswego County Health Department continues to monitor the air quality index across the county and residents will be notified if there are any changes. People can monitor the county’s air quality status at https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Oswego&state=NY&country=USA.

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