Bay Area Residents Asked to 'Spare the Air' For Second Day Straight

By Bay City News Service:

A second straight Spare the Air alert has been issued for the Bay Area for Friday because of unhealthy ozone pollution levels expected in the region, air quality officials said.

The alert issued by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is the result of forecasted high temperatures and low winds paired with motor vehicle exhaust and potential wildfire smoke coming into the region from the Happy Camp wildfire in Siskiyou County, air quality officials said.

A Spare the Air alert was also issued for today. Friday’s alert is the ninth of the summer season, according to the air district. District officials encourage Bay Area residents and visitors to take public transportation, carpool or find alternate means to commute to work or school.

“The hazy, smoke-filled skies have been plaguing the region for weeks,” air district executive officer Jack Broadbent said in a statement. “We can’t control the smoke from the wildfires, but we can reduce our daily contribution to air pollution by driving less.”

To find out about when Spare the Air alerts are issued, people can visit www.sparetheair.org, call (800) HELP-AIR, download a Spare the Air smartphone app or connect with Spare the Air on Facebook or Twitter.