Poor air quality affecting Tri-State

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - Some of the worst air quality the Tri-State has ever seen is lingering over most of the Midwest.

Airnow.gov tracks air quality across the country. They put the Tri-State in the “unhealthy” category, meaning some members of the general public may experience health effects, but members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.

That includes people with heart and lung diseases, older adults and young children. Still, a number of people were outside Wednesday for a variety of reasons.

At the Mesker Park Zoo, families braved the heat and poor air to visit the animals.

“Our guest service staff are trained to monitor people and look for signs of distress,” said Paul Bouseman, Deputy Director of the Mesker Park Zoo. Others were required to be outside, like construction workers.

INDOT officials say they were prepared for the bad weather, having employees start their day early and go home when the conditions were at their worst.

“Whether it’s the heat or the bad air quality, we just like to take care of each other and make sure everyone gets home safe,” said Gary Brian, INDOT’s public information director.

Others were mesmerized by the smoky skies like they’d never seen before.

“I just came to take some pictures and I’m going to go back to my car because it’s not good to be out here,” said Sara Delgado as she took pictures of the Ohio River.

Health experts say whether you are at-risk for more serious health effects, or just a member of the general population, stay inside if you can.

If you have to go out, consider wearing an N95 mask, if you have some left over from the pandemic.

Air quality could remain an issue through the rest of the work week.

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