Shasta County Air Quality Advisory
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:
August 19, 2020
Contact: Shasta
County Air Quality Management District, 225-5674
AIR QUALITY
OFFICIALS URGE CAUTION DUE TO WILDFIRE SMOKE
SHASTA COUNTY – The Shasta
County Air Quality Management District (AQMD) is advising Shasta County
residents to remain aware of potential smoke impacts due to multiple wildfires
burning in the Northern California region. Wildfires burning in the region may transport
varying amounts of wildfire smoke into the populated areas of Shasta County.
Certain areas may experience higher concentrations of smoke based on proximity
to wildfires and current weather conditions. The public—especially those with
respiratory or heart disease, the elderly, pregnant women and children—should
remain alert, and if necessary, reduce or avoid all outdoor exertion when
wildfire smoke is present. Everyone else should limit prolonged exertion in
areas of noticeable smoke accumulation. To minimize exposure to smoke:
• Limit exercise and outdoor
activities
• Remain indoors with the
windows and doors closed
• Turn on an air conditioner with a recirculation setting
(such as in a vehicle)
• Non‐HEPA paper face mask filters and bandana-type face coverings
may be helpful in reducing the spread of germs and viruses, but they are not
capable of filtering out extra fine particulates that are much smaller in size.
Therefore, non-HEPA masks will not be helpful in protecting individuals from
smoke-related impacts.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) readings from the fixed monitors are
updated hourly and are available at Shasta County AQMD’s Current
Air Quality Map
Additionally, AirNow—a
partnership of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Park Service, NASA, Centers for
Disease Control, and tribal, state and local air quality agencies—has created a
sensor data pilot project designed to provide the public with additional
information on levels of particle pollution (PM2.5) in the air, particularly
during wildfires. The project adds data from low-cost sensors to the Fire and Smoke Map on the AirNow.gov
website.
For additional
information and updates, visit the Shasta
County Air Quality Management District Wildfire Smoke Webpage or call 225-5674.
No comments:
Post a Comment