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

• Wildfire Smoke, COVID-19 and Your Health FAQ: English | Arabic | Chinese (Simplified)  | Chinese (Traditional) | Farsi | Khmer | Korean | Spanish | Tagalog | Vietnamese
• About Wildfire Smoke
• COVID-19 Considerations for Extreme Heat & Unhealthy Air Quality for Services Providers

For information about these resources, contact neetu.balram2@acgov.org

• Using a Mask
  There is no clear evidence that N95 respirator masks used by the general public is beneficial to a person's health during a poor air quality event, and they can actually make it harder to breathe.
  • N95 masks or higher are a last resort, for people without access to safer indoor filtered air.
  • Some specific masks (N95s or higher) may be helpful for those who must be outdoors for long periods, but they must fit well and provide a tight seal around the wearer's mouth and nose to be effective.
  • N95 masks require a tight seal to work, thus may not protect men with beards or young children.
  • Persons with chronic breathing or heart issues or other medical conditions, should check with their health care provider before using an N95 mask, as they can make breathing more difficult.
  • Bandanas (wet or dry), paper or surgical masks, or tissues held over the mouth and nose will not protect from wildfire smoke or small particulate matter in the air.
  • Cloth and surgical masks do protect from COVID-19

• See guidance and images from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• 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
• Evacuation Center Guidance (ACPHD, 8/23/2020)
• Sign up for AC Alert
• Bay Area Air Quality Management District
  For forecasts of local Air Quality Index (AQI) levels
• Communication to Providers: PSPS and Air Quality (ACPHD, 10/28/2019)