Updated

Updated · KQED · Aug 4

Bay Area Air District Issues 2-Day Smoke Advisory as PM2.5 Threatens Sensitive Groups

Updated

Updated · KQED · Aug 4

Bay Area Air District Issues 2-Day Smoke Advisory as PM2.5 Threatens Sensitive Groups

Q: Why did officials issue a health advisory if the incoming smoke isn't severe enough to trigger a Spare the Air alert?

Officials issued a health advisory because smoke was expected to be noticeable enough to pose some risk, especially to sensitive people, even if pollution was not forecast to cross the threshold for a Spare the Air alert. The Bay Area Air District treats the two notices differently. A Spare the Air alert is reserved for days when ozone or particulate pollution is expected to exceed the federal 24-hour health standard. In this case, the district said PM2.5 levels were not expected to rise that high, so no Spare the Air alert was triggered. An air quality advisory, by contrast, is used when smoke could still affect parts of the region, conditions are uncertain, and some neighborhoods may slip into the moderate or unhealthy-for-sensitive-groups range. That matters because wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter that can irritate the lungs and worsen asthma, emphysema, COPD and other heart or respiratory conditions, even after short exposure. Officials also stressed that long-range wildfire smoke is hard to predict. Winds can shift quickly, smoke can stay aloft or drop to ground level unevenly, and impacts can vary sharply from one community to another. The advisory is therefore an early warning to monitor local conditions and reduce exposure if smoke appears. In practical terms, the message is that air quality may not be bad enough regionwide for a formal pollution alert, but it can still be unhealthy for children, older adults and people with underlying lung disease.

3 articles · Updated · KQED · Aug 4

Tuesday and Wednesday are under an air quality advisory in the Bay Area as wildfire smoke from Oregon and Washington is expected to enter through the Golden Gate and spread hazy conditions.
Dozens of Pacific Northwest fires showing what federal officials called extreme fire behavior have already pushed smoke offshore, with southward winds now carrying it down the coast.
EPA monitors showed mostly healthy air by midday Tuesday, but the district said pollution could deteriorate into the 50-100 moderate range or 100-150 unhealthy-for-sensitive-groups range later in the day.
Older adults, children and people with asthma, emphysema or COPD were urged to limit exposure, stay indoors with windows closed and use car recirculation if driving.
Hundreds of thousands of acres have burned in recent weeks, many from lightning in hot, windy conditions, underscoring that the region is entering the peak of wildfire season.