16 Nov 18
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
The smoke blanketing San Francisco from the devastating Camp fire plunged air quality in that city to 213 AQI on Friday, comparable to Dhaka, Bangladesh and much worse than many smog-plagued cities in India.
I checked my new AirVisual Pro air monitor on my desk here in the Pasadena Star-News newsroom today. The monitor takes measurements according to the Air Quality Index (AQI) scale: 0-50, good; 51-100, moderate; 101 to 150, unhealthy for sensitive groups; 151-200, unhealthy; 201-300, very unhealthy; 301-500, hazardous.
It showed Pasadena at 2, for (very) good outside air, at around 11 a.m., then at 26 around 2 p.m.
Central Los Angeles registered a 59, moderate air quality.
The corresponding app — IQ’s AirVisual — was trending No. 1 on Google Play Friday.
This is not the time to make jokes about LA air actually being better than San Francisco’s for a change. The City By The Bay is experiencing billows of smoke from a fire the size of Chicago that so far has killed 63 people.
#SanFrancisco tops this hour's Major City Ranking for World's worst #airquality. "Hazardous" rated air pollution from #Chico to #Sanjose. Follow your local air quality readings and take recommended actions with the AirVisual app: https://t.co/0S9AtJ6tp8 pic.twitter.com/fvtCw4bXjq
— AirVisual (@MyAirVisual) November 16, 2018
Muire Beach was near SF was listed at 434 AQI or hazardous, according to IQAir’s app at 3 p.m.
Also, air quality has not been great near the Woolsey Fire in Southern California. Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Malibu et al have experienced higher particulate or PM2.5 levels this past 7-10 days. That’s because particulates from burning homes, brush and cars can lodge into the lungs and cause short-term wheezing and if exposure is long enough, possible long-term damage.
With Santa Ana winds, the air ironically is cleaner in the valleys because the wind direction is reversed, blowing pollutants out to the sea. Normal, onshore flows bring winds and air pollution from car and truck tailpipes, refineries in the South Bay, pollution from the ports into the inland areas, namely the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, and more into San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
Health hazard
To bring attention to the dangers of wildfire smoke to our lungs, I asked the people of IQAir to send me an air monitoring device. They did, and I hooked it up on my desk.
But the most important message coming from a home air monitoring device at a time of tragic wildfire deaths and destruction is that air pollution — both outdoor and indoor — can damage your health. So you should pay more attention to it.
“The only good thing coming out of this (wildfires) is that it is raising concerns about air quality in people’s minds, whether there is a fire or not,” said Tiffany Allegretti, public relations manager for the La Mirada-based IQAir.
The pictures from San Francisco tell that story most dramatically. The city has also shut down all its schools and all its cable cars. Just too dangerous to be outside. Wow. Incredible.
Yet in Southern California, we breathe dirty air to some degree or less nearly all the time.
You can pay more attention — and adjust your lifestyle to minimize the risks — by buying an air monitor. The AirVisual Pro costs $269. The app, Airvisual, helps you take a peek at your indoor air before you come home.
“If you have Nest (or some other remote-controlled home HVAC system), you can turn on the attic fan in your house” and blow out the indoor air pollution, Allegretti said.
The device tells you when you should go outside and exercise. Just a minute ago it was saying: “Go outside and enjoy the clean air” with a bicycle icon in the left-hand corner.
When I set it to indoor air, it said: “You’ve achieved fantastic indoor air quality,” meaning low levels of PM2.5 in my office.
“Your office must have very good filters,” Allegretti said.
Fresh air?
The device monitors carbon dioxide. Inside, as the day goes on, the CO2 levels rise. I noticed more CO2 was in the office air as more reporters returned to write their stories. We were far below any worrisome level. But if so, the device would tell you to open the windows and let in some fresh air.
There are also air purifiers you can buy and put in your home. My friend just bought a Conway AP-1512HH Mighty Air Purifier for $225.
But if you can’t afford these devices, keep your windows closed during bad air days and open them during good air days. Usually, the morning is the better time to open your windows and let in fresh air.
In the car, use the inside air circulation button, especially when behind a smokey internal combustion car. And remember to change your car cabin filter every year.
Fires and bad air: a new normal that we need to adapt to, before finding a solution.
Steve Scauzillo covers public health, environment and green transportation for the Southern California News Group. He’s a recipient of the Aldo Leopold Award for Distinguished Editorial Writing. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @stevscaz or email him at sscauzillo@scng.com.
