'Spare the Air' Alert for Tuesday

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued its first Spare the Air Health Alert for smog in 2011.

Air quality in the Bay Area is forecast to be unhealthy Tuesday, June 21. The district encourages residents to drive less and reduce their energy use. There is no free transit Tuesday and no wood-burning ban is in place. 

“Pollution in our air every day creates smog when temperatures are high,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Air District. “This alert is a reminder to us all that we must reduce the amount of pollution we generate every day to avoid unhealthy air when the weather turns hot.”

Motor vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapors, industrial emissions and household chemicals contain volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides that combine with oxygen in the presence of heat and sunlight to form ground-level ozone.

Breathing ozone can cause throat irritation, congestion and chest pain. It can trigger asthma, inflame the lining of the lungs and worsen bronchitis and emphysema.

“Smog irritates the respiratory system, and can reduce lung function, making it more difficult to breathe, especially in children. It also can aggravate asthma and make people more sensitive to allergens, such as dust mites, pets, and pollen, and worsens chronic lung diseases.” said Dr. Thomas Addison, a pulmonologist with Kaiser Permanente San Francisco. “By taking steps to reduce emissions, Bay Area residents help all of us breathe easier.”

 The Air District issues Spare the Air Alerts whenever air quality is forecast to reach unhealthy concentrations.

What the public can do:

• Bike to work or around town
• Take public transit
• Work at home or telecommute
• Carpool and link your errands to reduce driving
• Avoid using gas-powered lawn mowers and leaf blowers
• Reduce household energy use
• Cook indoors, not on the barbecue
• Avoid using aerosol spay cleaners, paints and hair spray

Source: The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is the regional agency chartered with protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area.