DNR Raises Air Quality Levels

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has elevated the air quality index to yellow — or moderate — in Ozaukee County moved through the area on Tuesday.

The warning means that "there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution," according to the DNR's website.

Levels in Milwaukee County are listed as red, which means that everyone in the area, regardless of sensitivies, may have health effects from breathing in the air. The pollutant numbers represent an average for pollutant levels over the past 24 hours.

Jerry Medinger, supervisor of the transportation and monitoring team at the DNR, said the pollutant levels are already dropping, but they likely won’t lower the air quality index until 11 p.m.

“That’s a problem we have in reporting,” Medinger said. “You have to wait for 24-hour average of pollutants before you do any reporting. You may have had hours of high values, but couldn’t say that it was high since you are looking at a 24-hour average.”

Symptoms in healthy people of smoke exposure usually include "irritation of eyes, nose and throat, or breathing discomfort; more severe symptoms may include chest tightness, wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing," a press release from the DNR explained.

“When you are standing around a campfire you eyes might water, you might cough and you’ll try to get out of the way so that you don’t breath it in,” Medinger said. “In this condition, you can’t get away.”

The report may not give a 100 percent accurate reflection of what people may be experiencing, however. Not all pollutants are tested in all counties, Medinger said. Some counties (including Racine) don’t have the equipment needed to measure all types of particles.

“You can see the numbers going up yesterday, but we’re not sure how long it will last,” Medinger said. “Now the values are going down, but it’s going to take a while to come down.”