Air District extends Spare the Air Alert for smog & smoke through Wednesday

Light winds combined with very hot inland temperatures and vehicle exhaust are expected to cause unhealthy smog, or ozone, accumulation in the Bay Area on Tuesday. In addition, smoke from the Woodward Fire in Marin County and the August Complex in Mendocino County may produce isolated areas of unhealthy air quality in the North Bay, San Francisco, portions of the East Bay and potentially Vallejo through Wednesday. It is illegal for Bay Area residents and businesses to use their fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other wood-burning devices during a Spare the Air Alert for particulate pollution.

“The Labor Day weekend heatwave, combined with tailpipe exhaust and lingering wildfire smoke, is expected to cause unhealthy air quality in the region,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Air District. “Driving less can help reduce smog and heading indoors when smoke is present can help protect our health.”

Spare the Air Alerts are issued when ozone or particulate matter pollution is forecast to reach unhealthy levels. If the smell of smoke is present or visible, it is important that Bay Area residents protect their health by avoiding exposure. If possible, stay inside with windows and doors closed until smoke levels subside. If temperatures are too hot indoors, visit an air-cooling center or other building that provides filtered air. It is also recommended that Bay Area residents set air conditioning units and car vent systems to re-circulate to prevent outside air from moving inside.

Smoke can irritate the eyes and airways, causing coughing, a dry scratchy throat and irritated sinuses. Elevated particulate matter in the air can trigger wheezing in those who suffer from asthma, emphysema or COPD. Elderly persons, children and individuals with respiratory illnesses are particularly susceptible to elevated air pollution levels and should take extra precautions to avoid exposure.

Ozone, or smog, can cause throat irritation, congestion, chest pain, trigger asthma, inflame the lining of the lungs and worsen bronchitis and emphysema. Long-term exposure to ozone can reduce lung function. Ozone pollution is particularly harmful for young children, seniors and those with respiratory and heart conditions. When a Spare the Air Alert is issued, outdoor exercise should be done only in the early morning hours when ozone concentrations are lower.

To find out when a Spare the Air Alert is in effect, residents can sign up for text alerts by texting the word “START” to 817-57, register for email AirAlerts at www.sparetheair.org, call 1(800) HELP-AIR, download the Spare the Air App or connect with Spare the Air on Facebook or Twitter.

Check the Air District's Current Air Quality page for real-time air quality readings.

View press release(144 Kb PDF, 2 pgs, posted 07/09/2020).

View Wildfire Safety web page.