Air district warns of worsening air quality

Valley residents should probably plan to stay indoors during the next few days.

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued an advisory warning everyone — not just the young, elderly or people with respiratory problems — to refrain from venturing out of doors.

High ozone levels and accumulating particulate matter  — caused by hundreds of wildfires throughout the state — have prompted the advisory.

“We’re at the level of bad weather right now that everybody is affected and if you have asthma or respiratory issues, you’re even more susceptible so you should definitely not be going outdoors,” Janelle Schneider, of the air district, said.

Typically during the summer, ozone develops because of heat and sunlight. Then, in the winter, PM becomes a strain on air quality because of emissions released by wood-burning. But now the wildfires are pumping PM into the air at a constant rate.

“This PM that’s out there is there around the clock,” Schneider said. “So there really is no safe time to go out and exert yourself.”

The problem is very serious in Tulare County, she said. And regulators from the air district expect this to continue as long as the fires burn.

Weather conditions indicate it will continue through the weekend, according to Schneider.

“I can’t recall that we’ve had this bad of a problem for this long of a time,” Schneider said.

Residents are asked to limit the use of gas-powered equipment like lawn mowers and leaf blowers and to postpone driving until the air quality improves.

The air district issued a health advisory to the Fresno and Clovis metropolitan area Friday, stating that the ozone air pollution levels were forecasted to peak until 7 p.m. Schools were advised not to let students to engage in rigorous outdoor exercise for more than an hour, and all residents are encouraged to stay indoors.

Porterville Mayor Cameron Hamilton, feels that citizens owe caution to the issue. “I’m very much concerned,” Hamilton said. “I would strongly suggest that people susceptible to air quality issues stay indoors and keep their air conditioning units going.”

“We’ve got over a thousand fires going. I don’t see in the near future that the air quality is going to improve. With the Fourth of July coming up — it’s only going to add immensely to that.”

For more information, visit <www.valleyair.org> or call (800) 766-4463 (SMOG-INFO).