Clark County issues smoke advisory for holiday weekend

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - The Clark County Department of Environment and Sustainability (DES) is issuing an advisory from Saturday, July 1 through Wednesday, July 5 for elevated levels of smoke due to local fireworks throughout the annual Independence Day holiday weekend.

DES Division of Air Quality officials say that smoke is made of small dust particles and other pollutants that can aggravate respiratory diseases and contribute to ground-level ozone formation. These pollutants can also aggravate respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma or heart disease.

Under moderate or worse air quality conditions, it may be best for children, older adults and people with respiratory and heart disease to stay indoors. The department suggests consulting your physician if you have a medical condition that makes you sensitive to air quality conditions. It also offered the following tips to help limit personal exposure to smoke:

• Limit outdoor exertion on days with high levels of fine particles in the air. Exercise makes you breathe heavier and increases the amount of particulates you are likely to inhale.
• Keep windows and doors closed.
• Consider changing your indoor air filters if they are dirty.

The Department of Environment and Sustainability monitors air pollution through a network of monitoring sites throughout the Las Vegas Valley. Data is collected from these sites and reported at this monitoring website: DESAQMonitoring.ClarkCountyNV.gov.