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By Amanda Greenwood
Associate News Editor
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Thousands of residents across a part of Texas, along the Mexican border, have been urged to stay indoors on Tuesday morning amid concerns over high air pollution levels.
A map from AirNow, produced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), shows that levels of fine particle pollution (PM2.5) have reached "unhealthy for sensitive groups" levels across parts of El Paso and neighboring southern towns as of 2.55 a.m. ET.
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Those Likely To Be Affected By Poor Air Quality In Texas
When air quality is in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category, more vulnerable people — including children, older adults, and those with certain medical conditions — are more likely to be affected by poor air quality, and should take steps to reduce the intensity and duration of outdoor activities.
People in sensitive groups can also be affected by poor air quality inside, including in their homes. To keep the air inside as clean as possible, the EPA advises residents in the affected area to keep their windows closed, use air filters or purifiers, and avoid lighting candles, wood-burning stoves, and indoor fires until the air quality improves.
What’s Causing The Poor Air Quality In Texas?
The EPA hasn’t confirmed what’s causing elevated levels of PM2.5 across this part of Texas, but PM2.5 can come from a variety of sources. These include smoke from wildfires or smokestacks, dust from unpaved roads or construction sites, or emissions released from power plants or vehicles.
PM2.5 is classified as tiny particles of pollution which are usually 2.5 micrometers or less in size—which is smaller than a single strand of hair.
The EPA says that PM2.5 is one of the most dangerous forms of particle pollution because the particles are so small that they can be inhaled, unknowingly, entering deep into the lungs and bloodstream, worsening existing heart or lung conditions, such as asthma, or causing symptoms like eye, throat, and nose irritation and shortness of breath.
Air quality across the U.S. is measured using the EPA’s Air Quality Index (AQI), a standardized scale from 0 to 500 that categorizes how clean or polluted the air is and the level of health risk it poses to the public. The higher the AQI number, the greater the health risk.
The AQI categories are:
- Good (0–50): The air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
- Moderate (51–100): Air quality is acceptable, but some pollutants may be a concern for a small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (101–150): Members of sensitive groups — children, older adults, and people with heart or lung disease — may experience health effects, but the general public is less likely to be affected.
- Unhealthy (151–200): Everyone may begin to experience health effects, and sensitive groups may experience more serious effects.
- Very Unhealthy (201–300): Health warnings are triggered, and the risk of health effects increases for everyone.
- Hazardous (301–500): Emergency warnings are issued as the entire population is more likely to be affected by serious health effects.
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