Community Corner
Spare The Air Alert Issued For Bay Area
Light winds combined with high temperatures and motor vehicle exhaust are expected to cause an unhealthy level of smog, officials said.
BAY AREA, CA – A Spare the Air alert goes into affect Saturday for the San Francisco Bay Area because the level of smog is expected to be unhealthy, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
Light winds combined with high temperatures and motor vehicle exhaust are expected to combine to cause the unhealthy level of smog, air district officials said.
However, there is no ban on wood burning and there will be no free transit Saturday, according to air district officials.
Find out what's happening in Mill Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"Traffic on Bay Area roads is our region's number one cause of air pollution in the summer," said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the air district, in a statement. "To cut harmful smog and traffic gridlock, we must reduce our driving every day by taking transit, carpooling or telecommuting instead of driving alone," Broadbent added.
Ozone, which is the same thing as smog, can cause throat irritation, congestion and chest pain, and trigger asthma.
Find out what's happening in Mill Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
People can find out when a Spare the Air alert is in effect by visiting www.sparetheair.org or www.baaqmd.gov, by calling 877-4-NO-BURN, signing up for text alerts by texting "START" to 817-57, signing up for phone alerts at 800-430-1515 or via Spare the Air iPhone and Android apps.
By Bay City News Service / Image via Shutterstock
