Air District Warns About Wildfire Smoke Drifting to Valley
By Mark Grossi, The Fresno Bee, Calif.
Sep. 7–Residents with sensitive lungs should stay inside as much as possible through the weekend to avoid breathing the ash and soot coming from two wildfires north of the Valley.
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District warned county health officials and schools about diminishing air quality on Thursday as smoke drifted into the region from the Moonlight fire in Plumas County, northeast of Sacramento.
Potentially dangerous levels of ash and soot were scattered from Stockton to Fresno.
The biggest health effects were expected north of Fresno.
“If you can smell smoke, you’re probably breathing it,” said district spokeswoman Jaime Holt. “You need to put off outdoor exercise or your daily run.”
This week, the 20,000-acre Plumas fire has cast a haze over San Francisco and the Sacramento Valley as well as parts of northern Nevada.
Air district forecasters said the wind may shift today and push the smoke from the Plumas fire away from the Valley. But the Valley probably would get smoke from the other blaze, the 18,000-acre Lick fire in Santa Clara County.
The district declared a “Spare the Air Day” for today in all eight San Joaquin Valley counties — Fresno, Tulare, Kings, Madera, Merced, Kern, Stanislaus and San Joaquin. “Spare the Air” is a voluntary program in which residents are asked to refrain from pollution-making activities, such as unnecessary driving.
The weekend forecast for Central California calls for a more stagnant weather pattern, meaning the smoke debris probably will remain trapped in the air Saturday and Sunday.
With temperatures in the high 90s, residents may suffer the double whammy of elevated smog or ozone levels as well as the ash and soot.
The smoke particles, called PM-2.5, typically occur in winter when fireplaces are burning, not at the end of summer when ozone is the dominant pollutant.
Medical research shows the microscopic particles in smoke can penetrate deep in the lungs, triggering asthma and other lung problems. The pollutant has been linked with heart problems and early death.
Dr. John Gasman, a pulmonologist for Kaiser Permanente, treats patients with asthma and other lung ailments. He said they are reporting problems.
“Nobody is doing well this week,” he said. “I tell them to avoid the outdoors and run their air conditioning to filter the air and stay cool. The heat is a big problem for many people, too.”
The reporter can be reached at mgrossi@ fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6316.
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