The hot and humid weather conditions are creating elevated pollution levels, prompting Environment Canada to issue a special air quality statement for Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent.
EC says high levels of air pollution are possible Thursday afternoon, with hot and sunny conditions expected to cause increasing ground-level ozone concentrations.
Moderate risk AQHI values are expected throughout the day with the potential of short-term high risk AQHI values in the afternoon.
Individuals may experience symptoms such as increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath. Children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk.
EC says everybody can play a role in helping to improve air quality by doing simple things, such as using public transit, reducing our driving speed and not letting our car engines idle unnecessarily.
Visit www.airhealth.ca for information on how to reduce health risks and personal contributions to pollution levels, as well as for current and forecast AQHI values.