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'Unhealthy' air quality: Physician recommends staying indoors, wearing N-95 mask while outside

Polk County currently lists the air quality index as 176, so even for those that are perfectly healthy, breathing the air may lead to health effects.

POLK COUNTY, Iowa — This afternoon, the air quality index in Polk County reached 175. 

At this level, even those who are perfectly healthy may begin to experience health effects, and members of sensitive groups may experience more serious symptoms.

Iowans saw some hazy conditions and lower quality Tuesday, but Wednesday's air quality index was the worst Polk County has seen since summer began. 

The National Weather Service in Des Moines issued an air quality alert for the state through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, with conditions set to improve Thursday. 

"You should definitely be keeping an eye on the filter for your air conditioner. You can also use air purifiers," said Dr. Jon Van Der Veer, an internal medicine physician and the founder of Exemplar Care in West Des Moines.

He also offered a suggestion for anyone who still wishes to exercise outside despite the poor air quality. 

"As silly as this is, and all the things we've gotten used to during the pandemic in the past, is back to N-95 masks," Van Der Veer said. "If you need a mask that's going to filter out this particulate, [it can] decrease your irritation from it."

Polk County also said in a statement that elevated levels of harmful particles will continue to be a concern over the next couple of days as this smoke continues to move through the state. Even as the air quality improves in Central Iowa, it's still recommended to avoid spending too much time outside.

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