PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Maine Department of Environmental Protection warns that unhealthy air continues to be a problem along the coast.

The agency anticipates elevated ground-level ozone concentrations from Kittery to Acadia National Park through the midnight Saturday. Exposure to elevated ozone levels can cause breathing problems, aggravate asthma and other lung diseases.

The alert issued is Maine’s first of the summer.

The Maine Center for Disease Control encourages the public to take simple steps like drinking more fluids, staying indoors and taking breaks to beat the heat.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.