Alert--Air Quality alert for Cleveland Heights and Northeast Ohio on Wednesday, June 7

June 7, 2023

Air quality alert for Cleveland Heights and Northeast Ohio

Air quality in Cuyahoga County has reached the Unhealthy level for PM2.5, particulate matter found in wildfires and from the combustion of fossil fuels used in daily activities.

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH—Northeast Ohio is experiencing unusually high levels of air pollution today due to a plume of wildfire smoke moving into the Ohio Valley overnight Wednesday from Canada, creating a potential public health concern for residents of Cleveland Heights.

The City is monitoring the situation with local health and environment officials, and will alert residents if elevated air pollution levels persist beyond the forecasted period of Unhealthy air from Wednesday through Friday.

The region’s air quality is monitored by AirNow.gov, which picked up elevated levels of PM2.5, particulate matter that measures 2.5 microns in width. PM2.5 is a substance contained in wildfire smoke and in the combustion of fossil fuels from daily activities such as driving and manufacturing. At elevated concentrations in the air, PM2.5 is unhealthy to breathe. The current PM2.5 level for the Cleveland area on Wednesday, June 7 reached 167, which places the air quality of the region in the Unhealthy or Red category.

“Sensitive groups should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion. Everyone else should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.”

Take steps to protect your health

Unhealthy air quality increases health risks for everyone, but is more worrisome for Sensitive Groups, those at risk for pulmonary episodes such as asthma.

Prolonged exposure to Unhealthy air quality may have long-term impacts for everyone. If you have small children, under the age of 6, or are caring for the elderly (over 65), please limit their exercise outside and limit the time spent outdoors for the remainder of the alert period (today through Friday).

Unhealthy air has real consequences. MetroHealth reports that 511 children in Cleveland Heights had a recent clinical visit and had an asthma diagnosis.

You can access real-time air quality reports and receive alerts when air quality is Unhealthy by logging on to AirNow.Gov

The air quality monitors in Northeast Ohio for June 7, 2023 are recording levels of PM2.5 at 167 or above. Those values place the air in the Unhealthy category, which AirNow.gov advises:

“Sensitive groups should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion. Everyone else should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.”

What is being done

Taking action to reduce Unhealthy air quality is a top priority for the City of Cleveland Heights. Recent actions Cleveland Heights has taken to address long-term air quality concerns include:

In May, the City participated in a weeklong Air Quality Awareness Week distributing a special series of emails detailing the local air quality monitoring of AirNow.gov while sharing actions individuals and groups can take to reduce air pollution.
As part of Air Quality Awareness Week, the City announced policy, such as the Mayor’s Executive Order suspending fines for tall grass. At the same time, the City curtailed its own mowing on city properties for the month of May.
The city introduced a local, Cleveland Heights air quality monitoring system through the installation of six PurpleAir air quality monitors. Residents can see real-time information on Cleveland Heights’ air quality by logging on to PurpleAir.com and clicking on the Map/Real-Time Map link at the top of the page.
Utilizing a grant, the City distributed 25 clean, battery operated lawn mowers in exchange for permanently removing 25 gas powered mowers from residents of five neighborhoods.

Steps we can take collectively to reduce the amount of PM2.5 in the air from daily activity include:

Avoid mowing the lawn or use of gas-powered blowers and lawn equipment; and
Avoid idling cars and vehicles for a prolonged period of time; and
Limit trips made by cars; and
Carpool and meet remotely; and
Turn off lights and electronic equipment when not in use to reduce loads and air pollution from power plants; and
Avoid burning wood fires.

More about AirNow.gov

AirNow.gov is a partnership of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Park Service, NASA, Centers for Disease Control, and tribal, state, and local air quality agencies that track and report air quality.

AirNow.gov uses the official U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI), a color-coded index designed to communicate whether air quality is healthy or unhealthy for you. When you know the AQI in your area, you can take steps to protect your health.

The real-time information on AirNow.gov is searchable by ZIP code, County, or larger geographic area within an Ozone Quality Index.

Cuyahoga County’s Ozone levels rose to Orange alert status on 14 separate occasions last year, in addition to three alerts for particle pollution, leading to an ALA grade of “F” and “C” respectively.

For more information about the City of Cleveland Heights’ Air Quality Awareness Week activities, including its creation of a new local air quality monitoring network (see Day 5 below), please visit:

Day 1, May 1, 2023—Wildfires and Air Quality
Day 2, May 2, 2023—Asthma and Your Health
Day 3, May 3, 2023—Air Quality and Transportation
Day 4, May 4, 2023—Air Quality and Climate
Day 5, May 5, 2023—Participatory Science

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