By Jaime Michaels, HANC Board
On August 18, a combination of extreme conditions, including a heat wave, a dry thunderstorm, and parched landscapes throughout the State, resulted in a series of fires in northern and central California. To date, almost 800,000 acres have been affected in multiple counties and none of the fires are yet fully contained. The effects include poor air quality and related impacts on health even for those living away from fire epicenters. Consequently, local authorities have recommended limiting outdoor activity for individuals with respiratory disease, pregnant women, the elderly, and children.
For those working or needing to be outside, be aware that you still need to protect yourself from both the bad air and from Covid-19. This article from UCSF - https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/08/418276/what-know-about-wildfire-smoke-and-covid-19 - recommends wearing an N-95 mask and covering up the exhalation valve (N-95 masks with the valve should be reserved for health care workers treating Covid-19). We understand that disposable KN95 masks (which do not have valves) may be more readily available, but there are some concerns with the KN95 masks—these masks were developed and distributed in China, and some of these masks do not meet expected filtration performance.
Additionally, it is important to understand air quality conditions, which can change dramatically on any given day depending on fire status, immediate weather patterns and topographical features, and one’s proximity to instruments measuring and reporting pollutants using the Air Quality Index (AQI). Current science-based information on air quality and different levels of risk related to exposure is readily available to the public. The City of San Francisco hosts one official air monitoring sensor on Potrero Hill, which is operated and maintained by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), and data collected is available at https://www.baaqmd.gov/ . Although a reliable source of information, reporting times for this sensor do lag throughout the day, and data best reflect conditions at or near the sensor’s location. (An additional source of information linked to official sensors is https://fire.airnow.gov/ .)
In the case of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, over 3.5 miles and various hills, valleys, and micro-climates away from Potrero Hill, air quality can be more fully assessed by also looking at data collected through personal sensors located at the western side of the City and available through websites, such as https://www2.purpleair.com/ .
With fires still burning in California and we move further into the fire season, it seems prudent to keep abreast of air quality conditions using resources including those mentioned above. That said, simply smelling or seeing the air outdoors may be your best indicator before heading out on a daily walk or a visit to the post office. If it smells unusually smoky, and the sky’s color is different from our ordinary fog-gray, it might be more sensible to stay indoors catching up on a good book, cultivating a bread starter, or locating the missing piece of that unfinished puzzle.