Many central Indiana counties under Air Quality Action Day status Friday

INDIANAPOLIS — Several counties in central Indiana will be under an Air Quality Action Day Friday due to the high ozone levels in the forecast.

According to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the following central Indiana counties will be under the action day status:

• Marion
• Bartholomew
• Boone
• Brown
• Delaware
• Hamilton
• Hendricks
• Howard
• Madison
• Shelby

Also included are the following counties from other parts of the state:

• St. Joseph
• Elkhart
• Lake
• Porter
• LaPorte
• Vigo
• Carroll
• Tippecanoe

IDEM said children, people who are elderly and anyone with heart or lung conditions should reduce or avoid heavy work outdoors.

Ground-level ozone is formed when sunlight and hot weather combine with vehicle exhaust, factory emissions, and gasoline vapor, according to IDEM. It can cause coughing and breathing difficulties for sensitive populations.

IDEM recommends following these tips to help reduce the ozone levels:

• Drive less: carpool, use public transportation, walk, bike, or work from home when possible
• Combine errands into one trip
• Avoid refueling your vehicle or using gasoline-powered lawn equipment until after 7 p.m.
• Keep your engine tuned, and don’t let your engine idle (e.g., at a bank or restaurant drive-thru)
• Conserve energy by turning off lights and setting the thermostat to 75 degrees or above 

The Air Quality Action Day will be in effect from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on the specified date.