SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is issuing the fifth, sixth and seventh Spare the Air Alerts for smog in 2019.
Air quality is forecast to be unhealthy today through Sunday, July 28. Light winds combined with hot temperatures and exhaust from motor vehicles are expected to cause unhealthy ozone, or smog, accumulation in the Bay Area. There is no free transit tomorrow and there is no wood burning ban in place.
A persistent high-pressure system over the Pacific Southwest is driving temperatures higher than predicted, delaying ocean breezes and causing unhealthy air quality throughout the region.
“The weather pattern this week continues to persist causing elevated levels of smog, so we are taking the unusual step of calling a three-day Spare the Air Alert through the weekend,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Air District. “We know that when we have high summer temperatures, we experience unhealthy air quality due to pollution from cars and trucks so it is important to reconsider our commuting options so we can reduce traffic and air pollution.”
Spare the Air Alerts are issued when ozone pollution is forecast to reach unhealthy levels. Ozone, 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.
Find out more about what the Air District is doing to address climate change in the nine-county Bay Area. Spare the Air-Cool the Climate is a blueprint for tackling regional air pollution and climate pollutants while improving the health of Bay Area residents for the next several decades. Check out this video about our bold vision to combat climate change at https://youtu.be/p9BxhIrIqrI .
To find out when a Spare the Air Alert is i n effect, residents can register for email Air Alerts at www.sparetheair.org , call 1(800) HELP-AIR.
