Philadelphia Air Quality Reaches Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups Level
Areazine synthesizes this EPA air-quality advisory directly from EPA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
On February 18, 2026, air quality in Philadelphia, PA reached an AQI of 104, categorized as Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups due to fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
What this EPA air-quality advisory tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by EPA on April 6, 2026 and geographically references Philadelphia, PA. Its severity classification of "low" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken - "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to - Air Quality - determines the informational context it sits in, and which agency or body is the authoritative source for updates.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to verify its scope, source, and timestamp, then compare related notices without assuming that one record proves a broader trend.
Areazine pairs this record with the original agency URL so you can check the primary source before acting. Its related labels are air-quality, epa, aqi, Philadelphia.
Current Air Quality
In Philadelphia, PA, the air quality index (AQI) reached a peak of 104 on February 18, 2026. The primary pollutant of concern is fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which is currently in the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" category. Other measured pollutants include Ozone (O3) with an AQI of 19 (Good) and PM10 with an AQI of 35 (Good).
What This Means
An AQI level of 104 is classified by the EPA as Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. At this level, air quality is acceptable for the general public, but members of sensitive groups may experience health effects from breathing the air.
Who Should Take Precautions
Sensitive groups include people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, and teenagers. These individuals are at greater risk from exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) compared to the general population.
What You Should Do
Members of sensitive groups should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. It is recommended to choose less strenuous activities, shorten the amount of time you are active outdoors, or plan outdoor activities for when air quality is better. The general public is less likely to be affected at this AQI level.
Source
Data provided by EPA AirNow.
Original source: EPA Official Notice ↗
Related Air Quality
All Air Quality →Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8
Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this EPA air-quality advisory: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.
Similar body length
Nearest notices by article body length (1,261 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (low) notices issued closest in time to April 6, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this EPA air-quality advisory.