This will be a short diary, since it’s more a request for information than a source of it.
While today’s weather in much of Northern California is cooler (especially here on the Central Coast), as of this morning, Cal Fire lists 29 uncontained, major fires (PDF) as of 7AM this morning. And with these fires, we are getting large amounts of fine particulates in the air.
Though the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has no plans yet to lift its health advisory, weather forecasters are predicting ocean breezes will start clearing out the haze Monday. Children, the elderly and people with heart and lung diseases are advised to limit outdoor activities.
The district issues alerts when airborne particulate levels are expected to exceed federal standards, an average of 35 parts per million over eight hours. Friday’s preliminary average in San Jose was 42 ppm, with levels peaking at 65 ppm, said air district spokesman Jim Smith. Saturday saw considerable improvement, with a preliminary average of 24 ppm, he said. Still, that’s nearly five times the reading a year ago of 5 ppm.
This is important news, but the catch is this: I’m finding it hard to get up-to-date information on whether this alert is still on, or what areas it affects. Anybody have better info?
Here’s a bit more information concerning the health risks, from a post up on KSBW’s site:
Air pollution readings in Northern California were two to 10 times the federal standard for clean air, said Dimitri Stanich, spokesman for the California Air Resources Board. Some areas experienced the worst air quality on record, with the smoke hanging like a fog down to ground level.
Air quality agencies from Bakersfield to Redding are especially concerned about high readings of small-particle pollution. The tiniest particles can penetrate past the body’s immune defenses, traveling deep into the lungs and into the bloodstream.
“When you have it on the scale we are seeing now, it is very dangerous to the general public health,” Stanich said. “This is a very serious problem.”
Stanich advised people to stay inside and keep physical activity to a minimum. Children, the elderly and people with heart and lung problems are particularly vulnerable, but pollution levels are high enough to affect healthy adults.
Health officials have reported an increase in people complaining of eye and throat irritation and coughing. The poor air can also trigger asthma attacks and bronchitis.
They said surgical masks, wet cloths and bandanas are not enough to filter the smoke. Only N95- and P100-rated masks filter out the smallest and most dangerous particles.
Some veterinary offices said pet owners were bringing in dogs and cats with symptoms ranging from weepy eyes and irritated skin to difficulty breathing or unusual lethargy. Vets were advising that pets remain inside until the smoke clears.
Here in Santa Cruz, the air does not seem all that bad, although the color of the sky is “off” somehow. But there is very little up-to-date info to find out how bad the risk is out here. It would be nice to know, based on the above articles.