2025 starts off with a breath of polluted air and health risks for many around Phoenix
Parts of Arizona reported hazardous levels on New Year’s
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — It was a hazy and smoky start to the New Year in the Valley. Several areas saw hazardous air quality levels Wednesday morning from leftover fireworks smoke and wood burning. Plus, we didn’t have any wind or rain to help clear out the pollution.
“When you have these weather patterns that don’t have much wind, that air just sits there. Especially in the winter time,” said AZ Family meteorologist Pete Mangione.
There were two types of pollution particles in the air Wednesday: PM10 and PM2.5. Mangione said the smaller the particle - the more dangerous.
“Think of a strand of hair. The diameter of that is about 7 micrometers. So imagine a PM 2.5, that is about 1/30th of that size. They are very tiny. That is a reason they are so dangerous. They can get really deep into your lungs,” Mangione said.
Valley allergist Dr. Sanjay Patel said even people without underlying health conditions can feel the effects of the unhealthy air quality. It can cause coughing and nasal congestion.
“Doing a saline rinse and just flushing through your nose can be helpful. That is cleaning out a lot of the particles that might have accumulated from breathing in it,” said Patel.
The air quality improved significantly since Wednesday morning. Forecasters expect that trend to continue Thursday.
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