Advisory will be in effect until midnight tonight.
Clark County Environment & Sustainability’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) has issued an air quality dust advisory for Monday, Aug. 10. Winds from thunderstorms in Arizona produced dust blowing into Southern Nevada early Monday morning that continue to linger late into the day. The advisory expires at midnight tonight.
“Due to the changing weather conditions, particulates are lingering longer than initially forecast, leading to the potential to exceed the EPA’s national ambient air quality standards today,” said Paul Fransioli, senior forecaster for the Division of Air Quality. “We will continue to monitor weather conditions overnight and into the early morning to determine if we need to extend the advisory into Tuesday.”
Airborne dust is a form of inhalable air pollution called particulate matter or PM, which aggravates respiratory diseases. Under windy conditions people with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children may feel better staying indoors as much as possible because they could be at greater risk from particulates, especially when they are physically active, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Consult your physician if you have a medical condition that makes you sensitive to air pollution.
The EPA’s Air Quality Index translates air quality data into colors to help people understand when they may experience health effects from air pollution. An AQI of 101 or more is considered a level that may be unhealthy for sensitive groups of people.
Tips to Limit Exposure
- Limit outdoor exertion on windy days when dust is in the air.
- Keep windows and doors closed.
- Run your air conditioner inside your house and car to filter out particulates.
- To keep dust down, drive slowly on unpaved roads.
- Ride off-road vehicles in approved areas outside the urban Las Vegas Valley.
- Call Environment & Sustainability’s dust complaint hotline at 702-385-DUST (3878) to report excessive amounts of blowing dust from construction sites, vacant lots or facilities.
STAY UP TO DATE WITH LOCAL AIR QUALITY INFORMATION
- Daily Air Quality Forecast Website: DESAQMonitoring.ClarkCountyNV.gov.
- Social Media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ClarkCountyDES; Twitter/X: @ClarkCountyDES and Instagram: @clarkcountydes.
- Daily Text/Email Alerts: www.enviroflash.org.
- AIRNow Mobile App: https://www.airnow.gov/airnow-mobile-app/.
###