Bay Area air pollution ‘unprecedented’
Air pollution from the fires roaring across the North Bay reached “unprecedented” levels this week, with measures of the noxious particulates that can sicken even healthy people hitting highs never seen before in the Bay Area, air quality experts said Friday.
The air quality index in Napa County on Friday afternoon was at “hazardous” levels — the worst rating, prompting the county to declare a local health emergency. The index, based on measurements of particulate matter in the air, was reported at 303 in Napa; healthy levels are 50 and below, and the index maxes out at 500.
“We’re seeing levels now that are unprecedented. We’ve never recorded air pollution levels this high,” said Kristine Roselius, a spokeswoman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. “It’s been off the charts.”
All over the Bay Area, people have been snapping up face masks and air filters, and stores are having a hard time keeping them stocked. Tens of thousands of masks have been sent to the most impacted areas in the North Bay, where the Wine Country fires have leveled neighborhoods and continue to burn largely out of control.
Where air pollution is the worst, public health experts advise residents to leave the area if possible. If they can’t go, they should stay indoors, ideally in buildings like libraries or shopping malls that use recycled air.
In homes that are leaky and letting in smoky air, people can buy filters that will dramatically decrease indoor pollution, said Brett Singer, an air quality scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. If they must be outside, they should wear face masks — the most common are called N95s — designed to keep out the microscopic particulates that are most dangerous to breathe. The masks must fit properly, Singer added, snug against the face.
“And then watch the air quality advisories,” Singer said. “A lot of people don’t want to be cooped up all day long. Almost every day we’ve had some times during the day when it’s less bad. That’s when you can go out.”
Current air quality advisories are online at Airnow.gov. Another resource for pollution updates is BerkeleyEarth.org, which provides hourly reports on air quality around the world, including the Bay Area. Richard Muller, a UC Berkeley physics professor who runs the website, said the pollution levels he’s seen this week are unlike anything the area has experienced.
“You could go back to the 1950s and ’60s, but I don’t think anything back then was comparable to what we’re getting right now,” Muller said. “The idea that 8 or 9 million people living in the Bay Area are being subjected to this high level of pollution is something new. I’ve never seen in my life something like this.”