Record-Breaking Air Pollution Affects Northern California

BAY AREA, CA – With numerous wildfires ravaging the region all week long, air pollution in counties of the San Francisco Bay Area has been the worst since 1999 when officials began collecting data. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area, has issued air quality alerts throughout the region since the deadly wildfires sparked last Sunday and burned tens of thousands of acres.

A health advisory and Spare the Air alert is in effect through the weekend as heavy smoke continues to hover over the region.

"We have never recorded higher levels of air pollution in the Bay Area," air district spokeswoman Kristine Roselius said.

North Bay residents have experienced the brunt of the pollution because of wildfires in California's wine country, but dangerous air quality has spread throughout the Bay Area.

• Heavy Smoke Blanketing NorCal Not Safe To Breathe, Air District Says
• WATCH: Fire Engulfs Sonoma Deputies Evacuating People From Burning Homes

Air district officials advised people in heavy smoke-impacted areas, especially people in Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties, to use N95 masks to help minimize breathing fine particles.

Forty thousand N95 masks are being delivered or have already been delivered to fire evacuation shelters and to Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties, according to the air district.

"Particulate matter is particularly dangerous because it can bypass our body's natural filtration system and enter deep into the lungs and even the bloodstream," Roselius said.

Particulate matter can have immediate health impacts, especially for children, seniors and people with respiratory conditions.

But while the masks can help, the best course of action is to go into a building that has filtered air, Roselius said. Another option is to leave the area until smoke levels subside.

Because of the serious air quality conditions, air district officials have also asked residents to avoid activities that can add to the air pollution, such as wood burning, lawn mowing, leaf blowing, driving and barbecuing.

The National Weather Service has issued another red flag warning and wind advisory for parts of the fire-ravaged region. Smoke is expected to impact the Bay Area into Monday, according to weather officials.

<< Red Flag Warning: Dangerous Fire Conditions Continue In Bay Area >>

See the Saturday forecast for air quality index levels in the Bay Area in the map from the Environmental Protection Agency below.

Click here and enter your zip code for real-time air quality readings.

Also see:

• California Wildfires Latest: 35 Lives Lost; Firefighters Gain Ground; 221,754 Acres Burned
• Red Flag Warning: Dangerous Fire Conditions Continue In Bay Area
• SMART Continues Free Train Service Through Sunday
• California Wildfires: Here's How You Can Donate To The Victims

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press