Air Quality
Climate Change is real and affects health in many ways. If you see or smell smoke in the immediate area, limit or avoid outdoor activity, including exercise. This particularly applies to children and older adults, people with breathing or heart issues, such as asthma, and pregnant individuals.
Prevention
Bay Area residents impacted by wildfire smoke are advised to:
- Stay indoors with windows and doors closed, where air quality is better.
- Keep indoor air cool or visit an air-cooling center.
- Set home and car ventilation systems on re-circulate to prevent drawing in outside air.
- Stay hydrated by drinking water.
- Limit or avoid outdoor recreational and sports activities.
- Use an air filter, especially if there are household members with heart disease, asthma or other respiratory conditions, or elderly persons and children.
- Avoid using wood-burning stoves or fireplaces, lawn mowing, leaf blowing, burning candles and incense, barbecuing, smoking.
- If possible, leave the affected area for the duration of a heavy smoke event.
Resources
- About Wildfire Smoke
- AirNow
- Alameda County Cleaner Air Center facilities (added when air quality threshhold is reached)
For information about this list, contact the cities where the facilities are located or the Alameda County Office of Emergency Services. - Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless
Check this site for resources and services and list of links to Unhealthy Air Resources - Sign up for AC Alert
- Bay Area Air Quality Management District
For forecasts of local Air Quality Index (AQI) levels
For information about these resources, contact austin.wingate@acgov.org.