With dozens of large fires burning from Wine Country to the Santa Cruz Mountains, Salinas to the foothills of Mount Hamilton, smoke levels are poor across the Bay Area and Northern California. Breathing can damage your health.
There are several websites to find real-time information on air quality and smoke levels in your community. All sites use the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index, which ranks air pollution levels on a scale of 0-500, with green and yellow being the best, and red and purple being the worst.
They are:
1) Purple Air – Founded in 2015, the site sells outdoor monitors that measure dust, smoke, soot and other particles. The site tracks thousands of its sensors on a global map, allowing anyone to enter a zip code, zoom in and see the current air quality in their community, along with the trend there in recent days. www.purpleair.com
2) Air Now – This website, maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, provides similar data in real-time air pollution. www.airmass.eu
3) Save the Air – Operated by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, this site provides nine-county Bay Area air pollution measurements, along with a five-day forecast, shuttle commuter information and wood-burning room rules . Information can be found at www.sparetheair.org or www.baaqmd.gov/about-air-quality/current-air-quality
4) Air Visual – A worldwide map of air quality sensors in major cities is here, although it is not as comprehensive as Purple Air’s. But the site shows fascinating wind direction graphs and ranks which cities worldwide have the least private pollution. www.kervisual.com/world-air-quality
5. Windy.com – See in which direction the wind is blowing, along with other weather information, in a stylish format. www.windy.com
On all these pages make sure you look for readings for what is called “PM 2.5”. That is scientific jargon for “particulate matter that is 2.5 microns in size or smaller.” These are microscopic, small pieces of soot and dust: Each particle is less than a tenth the width of a human hair.
Such small particles are not healthy. They float longer in the air than heavier particles, and can embed deep into the lungs and even the bloodstream as people breathe. They are linked to asthma, bronchitis, heart attacks and other diseases when people are exposed for long periods of time, and they can be particularly harmful to children and parents.
Health experts, including officials in the Bay Area Air District, advise staying indoors as much as possible if air quality index levels exceed 150. Other recommendations include setting air levels for cars to “recycle” to prevent outdoor air from entering. the car pumps while driving.
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