Air Quality: Staying Safe While Outside in the City
This month we’re taking a deeper look at how to keep cool during the summer in the city. If you missed last week’s blog, you can click here to find helpful tips for keeping your space cool in the summer without breaking your wallet or your A/C.
Today's topic is about air quality and how to stay safe & cool while outside in DC. Here’s what we learned and what you need to know…
Heat in the City
It’s hot in summer, and it’s hotter in the city! Living inside the District, you probably feel the difference, but science backs it up, too. According to the EPA, cities like DC can be up to 5 degrees warmer than surrounding rural areas. Even more surprising is that due to our infrastructure, heat holds longer throughout the day, creating up to a 22-degree difference in temperature by evening in comparison to the surrounding rural areas.
Extreme heat and prolonged heat can lead to heat-related illnesses. The CDC has created an easy-to-read chart to familiarize you with these preventable heat illnesses. It’s also good to understand these illnesses so that you can spot them in your loved ones and your neighbors. If you see someone who may be struggling in the heat, ask if they need help. DC has a hyperthermia hotline, and you can call 9-1-1, too. We like Thrive DC’s guide for helping unhoused folks during a heat emergency.
Ground Level Ozone
Now that we know it's extra hot in the city, what is ground-level ozone? Ground level ozone, also known as smog, is when pollution from vehicles and factories mix with organic compounds as a result of the increase in sunlight and heat.
This mixture is harmful to our lungs and can increase health concerns such as asthma, coughing, trouble breathing, dizziness, and wheezing.
How to reduce your exposure
Always check your weather apps and the news for air quality reports. At 95 degrees, DC goes into a Heat Emergency plan.
Schedule your time to be outside before 10am and after 6pm. Ground Level Ozone increases with temperature, and it’s important to limit your time at its highest levels.
Plan your favorite outdoor activities in areas away from roads. The further away from vehicle emissions, the better. Maybe visit a DC splash park!
Eat nourishing food and drink more water than you think you need. Properly fueling and hydrating our bodies helps us to fight back against chemicals and pollutants and flush them from our systems.
If you have to be out all day, schedule lots of breaks and seek shade or shelter while eating and resting.
DC's Heat Emergency Plan
When DC enacts the heat emergency plan, some services are made available to residents and visitors of the city. Cooling Stations are one of them. This is the current map of the 2022 District of Columbia Cooling Stations. Transportation to a shelter is available, and you can call 311 or the Shelter Hotline (202) 399-7093 for aid and information. Please note that transportation can be limited, so plan accordingly.
For more information, visit the Heat Emergency Plan Information website.
At Flock, we believe that happy homes make for happy residents, who cultivate strong, local communities that sustain our city, DC. Check out our other posts for more happy home content!