The Northern Sierra Air Management District and the Nevada County Department of Public Health have issued a Joint Air Quality Health Advisory due to smoke effects from air pollution. mosquito fire Located in Placer and Eldorado counties, California. Smoke effects can reduce air quality and can vary throughout the day. Air quality conditions can change rapidly, smoke can be intermittent, and can affect different areas depending on wind direction and time of day. For the latest smoke forecast for your area, visit https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/76d08bea.
Poor air quality can have adverse health effects, especially in sensitive groups and with prolonged exposure. Exposure to high levels of PM2.5 (particulate matter in smoke) can cause eye and throat irritation, headache, nausea, shortness of breath, congestion, coughing, lung function impairment, and chest pain. Especially sensitive people such as the elderly, children, people with asthma, people with heart or lung disease, pregnant women, people who exercise or work outdoors.
if you smell or see smoke around you, The following actions are recommended:
- Stay indoors. Minimize outdoor activity, even if you are considered healthy. People with health-related illnesses, especially breathing problems, should stay indoors. Follow Environmental Protection Agency recommendations for creating a clean air space in your home: https://www.airnow.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/how-to-create-a-clean- room-at-home.pdf
- A tight-fitting N95 mask is effective in protecting the wearer from smoke particles. Reusing an N95 mask can make it less effective and make breathing more difficult. Surgical and cloth masks are not effective in preventing lung damage from smoke due to the very small particle size.
- medical care. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience chest pain, chest tightness, or shortness of breath.
- Adjust your AC so that you don’t inhale smoky air. If your home has a central air conditioning system, set it to “recirculate” or close the outdoor air intakes. Replace the air filter regularly.
- Reduce other sources of indoor air pollution. Smoking tobacco, using gas, propane, wood stoves or hearths, spraying aerosol products, frying or grilling meat, burning candles or incense, and vacuuming can all increase particle levels in your home. should be avoided where wildfire smoke is present.
- Reduce physical activity to reduce inhalation of smoky air. During exercise, a person can increase air intake up to 20 times higher than at rest.
- As little ash as possible. Do not let the ash dry, use water and a damp cloth/mop to clean items and surfaces. Wear a tight-fitting respirator, gloves, long-sleeved shirt, and long pants when cleaning up ash. Avoid skin contact. If you get ash on your skin, wash it off immediately. Some wet ash can cause chemical burns. If possible, you can use a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner.
Real-time air quality status for the Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District can be found at www.myairdistrict.com ([Local Air Quality]Click the location of interest below).
Additional information about air quality can be found at
www.airnow.gov/
