![NOACA recommends waiting to mow until after sunset on air quality alert days. [Gabe Smith / shutterstock]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cef5c2c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F7%2F06%2Fshutterstock_278595200.jpg)
Several Northeast Ohio counties are under an air quality alertMonday until midnight.
The combination of high temperatures and low winds has caused elevated levels of ozone in the air, which can make it hard to breathe.
The poor air quality can be especially harmful to the elderly, children and those with respiratory illnesses, said Joseph MacDonald, director of strategic and environmental planning at the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA).
MacDonald recommends that sensitive groups monitor their time outdoors.
There are steps everyone can take to help improve the air quality on alert days, such as walking or biking instead of driving, and not idling your car, he said.
“These are the kind of things that can help produce ozone, so people can do their part to limit that production,” he said.
MacDonald also recommends getting gas after sunset and waiting to mow the lawn.
“Think about when you mow and how the atmospheric conditions may be conducive to higher levels of ozone, and those are the days you should avoid,” he said.
The air quality advisory for ground-level ozone was issued for Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit counties.
