Air, ozone quality for Long Island return to 'good'

There are no air quality alerts issued for Long Island on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the state Department of Environmental Conservation had issued an air quality alert for Long Island, New York City, Westchester and Rockland in effect through 11 p.m. and had warned of excess ozone in the air.

On Thursday, the official air quality index website, Airnow.gov, listed Long Island as in the "good" range, at just under 50, and the EPA listed the ozone quality as "good" as well.

In New York City and Westchester and Rockland counties the AQI was listed as "moderate," at just over 50.

The DEC has been cautioning that when pollution levels are elevated, people should limit outdoor physical activity, with those especially sensitive to pollutants, including the very young and those with respiratory conditions such as asthma or heart disease.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”