Air District Issues Spare The Air Smog Alert

Today, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is issuing its seventh Spare the Air Alert for smog in 2017.

Air quality is forecast to be unhealthy tomorrow, Saturday, August 26. A high-pressure system over the region, combined with hot temperatures inland, light winds and smoke from the Oregon wildfires is expected to cause unhealthy ozone levels in the South and East Bay regions. There is no free transit tomorrow and there is no wood burning ban in place.

“When making weekend plans, consider staying closer to home and biking or walking to your destination during the cooler parts of the day when pollution levels are lowest,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Air District. “Reducing our driving on a daily basis helps keep air pollution levels lower when we have a heatwave.”

Spare the Air Alerts are called when ozone pollution is forecast to reach unhealthy levels. Ozone, or smog, can cause throat irritation, congestion, chest pain, trigger asthma, inflame the lining of the lungs and worsen bronchitis and emphysema. Long-term exposure to ozone can reduce lung function. Ozone pollution is particularly harmful for young children, seniors and those with respiratory and heart conditions.

When a Spare the Air Alert is called, outdoor exercise should be done only in the early morning hours when ozone concentrations are lower. Residents are encouraged to reduce air pollution every day by rethinking their commute and avoiding driving alone.

Find out more about what the Air District is doing to address climate change in the nine-county Bay Area. Spare the Air-Cool the Climate is a blueprint for tackling regional air pollution and climate pollutants while improving the health of Bay Area residents for the next several decades. Check out this video about our bold vision on climate change at https://youtu.be/p9BxhIrIqrI.

To find out when a Spare the Air Alert is in effect, residents can register for email AirAlerts at

www.sparetheair.org, call 1(800) HELP-AIR, download the Spare the Air App or connect with Spare the Air on Facebook or Twitter.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (www.baaqmd.gov) is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area. For more information about Spare the Air, visit sparetheair.org.

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