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By Joe Edwards
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Children and other sensitive groups in Oregon are facing potential adverse health effects, with an air quality map indicating that pollution levels in some parts of the state had reached levels that were "unhealthy for sensitive groups."
Why It Matters
Health officials emphasize that sensitive groups—including children, older adults, and people with preexisting respiratory conditions—are at particular risk during periods of poor air quality.
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A spokesperson for the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) in California told previously told Newsweek that exposure to particle pollution "can cause premature death in people with heart or lung disease, cause heart attacks, aggravate asthma, decrease lung function, and cause respiratory symptoms like coughing and difficulty breathing."
What To Know
At the time of writing, the map from AirNow—a partnership of agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—indicated that a zone around Baker City, as well as an area around the Wood River Valley, northeast of Medford, were affected.
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The Air Quality Index (AQI), developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), measures air pollution on a scale from 0 to 500:
- 0–50 (Green): Good – Air quality is satisfactory.
- 51–100 (Yellow): Moderate – Acceptable, with potential concerns for sensitive individuals.
- 101–150 (Orange): Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups – Affects people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, and pregnant individuals.
- 151–200 (Red): Unhealthy – Everyone may begin to experience health effects.
- 201–300 (Purple): Very Unhealthy – Triggers health warnings of emergency conditions.
- 301–500 (Maroon): Hazardous – Serious risk to the entire population.
On Friday, the map indicated the aforementioned areas of Oregon were experiencing particulate matter or ozone pollution levels in the orange range, and thus were unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children.
What People Are Saying
Professor of pediatric respiratory and environmental medicine Jonathan Grigg, with Queen Mary, University of London, previously told Newsweek: "There are vulnerable groups and classically they are children because they've got an extra issue to do with their lungs developing, whereas our lungs are not developing as adults.
"Their trajectory can be deviated so they don't actually achieve their maximum lung function."
There are also "very clear links" between inhaling particles and earlier death from both respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, Grigg said.
Additionally, Grigg said conditions such as asthma are also exacerbated by exposure to air pollution.
What Happens Next
Air quality maps are regularly updated and will continue to track whether the orange zone persists or dissipates as weather conditions shift.
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