Chicago's second heat wave of the summer brings air quality concerns
The second heat wave of the summer is bringing air quality concerns with it.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says this week's concerns center around ozone pollution, something that isn't directly tracked by the city's massive network.
However, experts are still advising people to keep an eye on those monitors to better protect themselves and others.
Chicago is bracing for another heat wave, less than two weeks after the last one. This time, the heat comes with air quality concerns.
"You can kind of think of it like a double whammy," said Dr. Sheetal Rao with UI Health.
Not unusual for heat and air concerns to go together, according to Dr. Rao. She also works with the UIC School of Public Health Center for Extreme Conditions and Health Excellence.
"Take it seriously," she said. "Sometimes we, we can't see it. We think ok we'll just go from air-conditioned space to air-conditioned space. But it really doesn't take a very long time. That exposure to heat, especially for people who are sensitive to it, to get sick from heat. And it's also cumulative."
The heat dome is building—bringing along air quality concerns, particularly due to ozone pollution, according to the EPA.
Currently, there are 277 sensors spread across Chicago, evaluating our air every 10 minutes. Chicago is now home to the largest air quality monitoring in the country—second-largest in the world through a partnership between the city's health department and UIC.
It's called Open Air Chicago.
"We are able to help empower residents to actually look at the air quality near them and make informed health decisions," said Grace Adams with the Chicago Department of Health
Residents can visit the Open Air Chicago website and check out the air quality in their neighborhood.
"You can see which sensor is closest to you and as you're making a decision about whether you're going to take your dog on a walk at that moment or if you're going to go outside to do something else, do you need to bring your inhaler? Do you need to just maybe wait half an hour?" Adams said.
Our sensors measure two airborne pollutants—fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, like the exhaust from cars and trucks. So they can't directly track ozone concerns like we'll see this week, but Adams explained nitrogen does play a factor.
"So just kind of keeping in mind that we're not tracking on this network ozone specifically, but the pollutants we are tracking factor into ozone," Adams said.
Both the extreme heat and air quality warnings can be concerning for health. Three people, ages 44, 57, and 71, died from causes linked to Chicago's last heat wave. It's why these experts are sharing helpful advice and asking people to take these warnings seriously.
"If you're doing things that outside when it's hot, when there's ozone in the air, really rescheduling those things and planning for indoor activities," Dr. Roa said.
