High Temperatures and Smoky Air Could Cause Health Problems



Klamath Falls, Or. – Public Health officials urge Klamath County residents to take precautions to avoid health problems during hot, smoking conditions.

"The combination of high temperatures and wildfire smoke in Klamath County may increase the risk of illness especially for people with asthma, respiratory or heart conditions, older adults, and young children," said Marilynn Sutherland, Klamath County Public Health director. Public health officials urge all residents, especially children, older adults and people with lung or heart disease to take the following precautions to avoid health problems:

 Reduce the amount of time spent outdoors. This can usually provide some protection, especially in a tightly closed, air-conditioned house in which the air conditioner can be set to re-circulate air instead of bringing in outdoor air.

 Reduce the amount of time engaged in vigorous outdoor physical activity. This can be an important and effective strategy to lower the dose of inhaled air pollutants and minimize health risks during a smoke event.

 Reduce other sources of indoor air pollution such as burning cigarettes, gas, propane and wood burning stoves and furnaces, and activities such as cooking, burning candles and vacuuming.

 Drink plenty of water or other non-alcohol or decaffeinated fluids to keep cool.

 Individuals with lung disease or respiratory illnesses such as asthma should follow their health care provider’s advice about prevention and treatment of symptoms.

Smoke from wildfires is a mixture of gases and fine particles from burning trees and other plant materials. Smoke can hurt your eyes, irritate your respiratory system, and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases.

Smoke levels can rise and fall depending on weather factors including wind direction. Klamath County Public Health will continue to release information on our blog (www.klamathairquality.blogspot.com) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/klamathbasinairquality) as smoke conditions change.

August 07, 2014

 

 

We have forecasted winds WNW and good mixing heights during the day, which should keep our air in the good to moderate range. The mixing heights are forecasted to drop tonight, however the winds will be approximately 11 to 12 mph, which should keep our Air Quality in the good to moderate range thru the evening.

 

Understanding the AQI

The purpose of the AQI is to help you understand what local air quality means to your health. To make it easier to understand, the AQI is divided into six categories:

Air Quality Index (AQI) Values	Levels of Health Concern	Colors
When the AQI is in this range:	..air quality conditions are:	...as symbolized by this color:
0-50	Good	Green
51-100	Moderate	Yellow
101-150	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	Orange
151 to 200	Unhealthy	Red
201 to 300	Very Unhealthy	Purple
301 to 500	Hazardous	Maroon

Each category corresponds to a different level of health concern. The six levels of health concern and what they mean are:

• "Good" AQI is 0 - 50. Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
• "Moderate" AQI is 51 - 100. Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people. For example, people who are unusually sensitive to ozone may experience respiratory symptoms.
• "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" AQI is 101 - 150. Although general public is not likely to be affected at this AQI range, people with lung disease, older adults and children are at a greater risk from exposure to ozone, whereas persons with heart and lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from the presence of particles in the air. .
• "Unhealthy" AQI is 151 - 200. Everyone may begin to experience some adverse health effects, and members of the sensitive groups may experience more serious effects. .
• "Very Unhealthy" AQI is 201 - 300. This would trigger a health alert signifying that everyone may experience more serious health effects.
• "Hazardous" AQI greater than 300. This would trigger a health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected.

WILDFIRE SMOKE FORECAST

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY WEATHER OFFICE

1:30 PM PDT MON AUG 4, 2014

 

SIGNIFICANT FIRE INFORMATION:

 

Numerous wildfires extend across mainly southern, central and eastern Oregon.

 

For updated “Significant Fire” details, visit ODF’s fire blog at http://wildfireoregondeptofforestry.blogspot.com/ or the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (NWCC) at http://www.nwccweb.us/index.aspx.

 

A “Significant Fire Potential” map, for ODF protected lands, is available at (http://nfdrs.smkmgt.com/ODF_Significant_Fire_Potential.png). 

 

AIR QUALITY:

 

DEQ smoke monitoring sensors are indicating generally “good” air quality west of the Cascades and “moderate” air quality east of the Cascades.

 

Statewide air quality index readings are available at http://www.deq.state.or.us/aqi/index.aspx

 

SMOKE DISPERSION FORECAST:

 

Wildfire smoke dispersion depends on the stability of the atmosphere as well as wind direction and speed.  A stable atmosphere holds smoke to the ground and an unstable atmosphere allows smoke to rise and dissipate.  Smoke is typically mixed to higher altitudes during the afternoon, when daytime heating destabilizes the air mass.  Conversely, smoke tends to settle near the ground and in drainages during the overnight and early morning hours.

 

TODAY:

 

Upper level ridge remains over the region and to the east leaving the state under light south to southwesterly flow aloft. This upper level flow has been transporting wildfire smoke from southwest Oregon and northern California over most of the state. However, most of the smoke is aloft with some particulate settling out and degrading surface air quality a little. This pattern will remain through today with continued hazy skies in most regions from the wildfire smoke. Air mass is destabilizing during the afternoon but with generally light NW to N wind flow at low levels, expect little change in air quality today or tonight.

 

TUESDAY:

 

Upper level ridge only weakens slightly, and air mass stability and wind flow change little, so expect little change in air quality over most of the central and eastern part of the state. Upper level flow should turn a little more SW’erly giving less hazy conditions over most of the western part of the state.

 

EXTENDED OUTLOOK:

 

Ridge flattens Wednesday through Friday bringing in slightly cooler and more onshore flow over the state. This should slowly clear much of the smoke aloft and near the surface through most of the state except the extreme south and those areas downwind of active burning east of the Cascades. Air mass will remain generally stable except for better mixing during the afternoon hours. Wind flow at low and higher levels with range from WSW to NNW.

 

Current weather forecasts from the Portland, Medford, and Pendleton National Weather Service offices are available at:  http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/, http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mfr/, and http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pdt/ respectively.

 

This bulletin is also available on the web at

http://www.odf.state.or.us/DIVISIONS/protection/fire_protection/DAILY/wfsmoke.htm

 

ODF Smoke Management Meteorologist

KLAMATH COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DIVISION

 

 

 

Press Release

 

Date: August 01, 2014

Media Contact: Ramona Quinn/Jim Carey Phone: (541)-882-8846

 

High Temperatures and Smoky Air Could Cause Health Problems

 

Klamath Falls, Or. – Public Health officials urge Klamath County residents to take precautions to avoid health problems during hot, smoky conditions.

 

The combination of high temperatures and wildfire smoke in Klamath County may increase the risk of illness, especially for people with asthma, respiratory or heart conditions, older adults, and young children. Public health officials urge all residents, especially children, older adults and people with lung or heart disease to take the following precautions to avoid health problems:

 

·         Reduce the amount of time spent outdoors. This can usually provide some protection, especially in a tightly closed, air-conditioned house in which the air conditioner can be set to re-circulate air instead of bringing in outdoor air.

 

·        Reduce the amount of time engaged in vigorous outdoor physical activity. This can be an important and effective strategy to lower the amount of inhaled air pollutants and minimize health risks during a smoke event.

 

·         Reduce other sources of indoor air pollution such as burning cigarettes, gas, propane, wood burning stoves and furnaces, and activities such as cooking, burning candles and vacuuming.

 

·         Drink plenty of water or other non-alcohol or decaffeinated fluids to keep cool.

 

·         Individuals with lung disease or respiratory illnesses such as asthma should follow their health care provider’s advice about prevention and treatment of symptoms.

 

Smoke from wildfires is a mixture of gases and fine particles from burning trees and other plant materials. Smoke can hurt your eyes, irritate your respiratory system, and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases.

 

Smoke levels can rise and fall depending on weather factors including wind direction. Klamath County Public Health will continue to release information on our blog (www.klamathairquality.blogspot.com) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/klamathbasinairquality) as smoke conditions change. Updates will be made daily.

For more information about air quality; how to protect your health during the forest fire season and how to protect your health when temperatures soar, visit the following website:

http://public.health.oregon.gov/Preparedness/Prepare/Pages/PrepareForWildfire.aspx

 

To learn how to use visibility to measure risk of health effects, visit the following website:

www.deq.state.or.us/aq/burning/wildfires/visibility.htm

For other questions or concerns contact Klamath County Public Health’s Environmental Health department at 541-883-1122.

 

KLAMATH COUNTY AIR QUALITY OUTLOOK FOR TODAY SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2014

 

 

 

Klamath Falls, Or. – Public Health officials urge Klamath County residents to take precautions as the air quality reaches potentially unhealthy levels. The air quality index, a 24-hour average of pollution levels, at 10:30 am was 34.1, meaning moderate air conditions for all groups (see U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s scale for rating air quality below).

The Oregon Gulch Fire and Wildfires from Northern California are not contained, and appear to be sending smoke into Klamath Falls, Sprague River and Chiloquin. Hourly smoke concentrations remain moderate to high.  With the arrival of winds from the north last night and today  the smoke levels have been reduced to moderate levels and are expected to stay moderate throughout the day.  

 

Klamath County Public Health is advising residents in Spargue River, Chiloquin, and Klamath Falls to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations and urge local residents to take the following precautions to avoid breathing problems or other symptoms from smoke:

 

·         Check local Air Quality Index for information about conditions.

·         Reduce the amount of time spent outdoors. This can usually provide some protection, especially in a tightly closed, air-conditioned house in which the air conditioner can be set to re-circulate air instead of bringing in outdoor air. Staying inside with the doors and windows closed can usually reduce exposure.

·         Avoid strenuous outdoor activity.

·         Reduce other sources of indoor air pollution. Some indoor sources of air pollution can emit large amounts of the same pollutants present in wildfire smoke. Indoor sources such as burning cigarettes, gas, propane and woodburning stoves and furnaces, and activities such as cooking, burning candles, and vacuuming can greatly increase the particle levels in a home. These sources of indoor air pollution should be avoided when wildfire smoke is present.

·         Do not rely on dust masks for protection. Paper “comfort” or “dust” masks commonly found at hardware stores are designed to trap large particles, but will not offer protection from smoke. An “N95” mask work properly will offer some protection.

 

Individuals with lung diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease should follow their health care provider’s advice about prevention and treatment of symptoms. When smoke levels are high enough, even healthy people may experience symptomRemember, local smoke levels can rise and fall rapidly, depending on weather factors including wind direction. People can conduct a visual assessment of smoke levels to quickly get a sense of air quality levels and take precautions. If people have additional concerns, they should contact the nearest local public health agency for the latest in threats to health conditions from smoke.

To check current air quality conditions:

http://www.deq.state.or.us/aqi/index.aspx

 

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency's scale for rating air quality

 

• The data displayed are the most current available.
• All readings are preliminary and unvalidated. Following final review, all values are subject to change.
• New AQI readings will be available at approximately 15-20 minutes past the hour. The AQI map will refresh asynchronously at this time.

The units ppm and µg/m³ stand for parts per million and micrograms per cubic meter, respectively. Both are used in the measurement of air pollutant concentration.

 

Air Quality Rating	Air Quality Index (AQI)	PM2.5 1-hour Average (µg/m3)	PM2.5 24-hour Average (µg/m3)	Ozone 8-hour Average (ppm)
GOOD	0 - 50	0.0 - 40.4	0.0 - 12.0	0.000 - 0.059
MODERATE	51 - 100	40.5 - 80.4	12.1 - 35.4	0.060 - 0.075
UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS	101 - 150	80.5 - 175.4	35.5 - 55.4	0.076 - 0.095
UNHEALTHY	151 - 200	175.5 - 300.4	55.5 - 150.4	0.096 - 0.115
VERY UNHEALTHY	201 - 300	300.5 - 500.4	150.5 - 250.4	0.116 - 0.374
HAZARDOUS	>300	>500.5	>250.5	>0.375
Table 1. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is the EPA's scale for rating air qualit