Over a million Americans have been warned to keep their windows shut and avoid working outside as a hazardous cloud of dirty air sweeps across the Southwest.
Multiple air quality monitoring stations have sounded alarms in Texas, New Mexico and portions of Arizona, revealing that levels of harmful and potentially toxic particles have skyrocketed during Friday morning dust storms in the region.
The largest American city at the center of the air quality emergency is El Paso, Texas, which sits right along the US border with Mexico and is home to nearly 900,000 people alone.
However, the large swath of dirty and potentially dangerous air spans approximately 200 miles along the border in Texas and New Mexico.
Air pollution known as fine particulate matter has been blamed for the widespread conditions. These are microscopic particles small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs, causing inflammation, breathing difficulties and other health issues when inhaled.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified the air in the entire El Paso metropolitan area ‘unhealthy’ while a large patch near the US Army’s Fort Bliss has been deemed ‘very unhealthy.’
According to the World Air Quality Index project, a nonprofit providing real-time air pollution data for hundreds of countries, the air quality index (AQI) reached 411 in the northern part of El Paso.
Typically, air quality levels are only measured on a scale from 0 to 500. When outdoor air quality reaches 300 to 500, the EPA warns that everyone should avoid all physical activity outside.
This is a breaking story. More details to follow.
A major plume of hazardous air has been detected over Texas, New Mexico and Arizona on Friday, June 5
The source of the air quality alert in El Paso, Texas (Pictured) is believed to be major dust storms being blown north from Mexico (Stock Image)
The main driver of the air pollution
