Because of heat, first dangerous air quality alert reported late in 2017

These record setting temperatures are not just making us sweat on this first day of fall. They are resulting in dangerous air quality levels as well.

From his rooftop office at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Dr. Joseph Leija is reporting the first dangerous air quality alert for the 2017 allergy season and it's coming late in the year.

Dr. Leija has been performing the allergy count for more than a decade. Every day during allergy season, he heads to the hospital rooftop to get a readout from his pollen catching machine. It measures trees, mold, weed and ragweed spores. On Friday, thanks to the excessive heat and humidity, mold was off the charts.

The count was over 62,000. A moderate range is considered between 6,500 and 13,000 spores. An air quality alert is triggered by anything over 50,000.

Dr. Leija has this advice for people with breathing conditions: regularly take your allergy medication and contact your allergist for any needed adjustments.

-Run a dehumidifier/air conditioner and or air conditioner.

-Limit your exposure to the outdoors

-And believe it or not, wash your hair before going to bed. That’s because hair traps pollutants and allergens and brings them indoors.

The good news is once the weather starts cooling down, the bad air quality will get better. Then, all we have to worry about is getting ready for cold and flu season.