A day after Contra Costa Health Services urged City of Pittsburg residents to stay inside due to poor air quality, it appears neighboring cities are now dealing with poor air quality as well.
According to Purple Air, as of 6:00 am on Tuesday, City of Antioch, City of Brentwood and City of Oakley are now dealing with poor air quality with ranges of 105 to 207 which is in the orange, purple and red areas.
According to Air Now, it was showing Air Quality in the green level and under 50.
Meanwhile, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued an air quality advisory for Monday due to wildfire smoke. Smoke from the Washburn Fire is forecast to be transported into the Bay Area and is expected to impact the North and East Bay regions. However, pollutant levels are not expected to exceed the federal health standard. A Spare the Air Alert is not in effect and air quality is expected to be in the moderate range.
On Monday, air quality in central Pittsburg has been measured by Contra Costa Health’s Hazardous Materials program at unhealthy and at times hazardous levels this afternoon, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality index, due to a fire burning in the area. Conditions may change and other areas may be affected. CCH will continue air sampling near the fire as conditions warrant.
A question regarding City of Antioch, City of Oakley and City of Brentwood not being included in the alert went unanswered by Contra Costa Health services.
The county urged people in affected areas should avoid contact with smoke and minimize any time spent outdoors, especially older adults, pregnant women and people who have asthma, lung or heart disease. People in the area should avoid going in and out of their homes in order to prevent bad air from getting indoors. For those without power, consider going to a location with a powered ventilation system.
Using a mask is not an effective substitute for staying indoors in a space with filtered air.
Common symptoms of smoke exposure include coughing, scratchy throat, headaches and irritated eyes, nose and throat. Contact your healthcare provider if you are concerned about these symptoms.
People with asthma should continue to follow their asthma plan, and those with chronic lung or heart disease should continue to take their medications regularly. Symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest pain or chest tightness may require immediate medical attention. Call 911 if you experience these symptoms.
Contra Costa Health will post updated information about air quality conditions related to this incident at cchealth.org. More health information about wildfire smoke is available at cchealth.org/wildfire-smoke.
