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The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued a “Spare the Air” alert for today (Tuesday, Jan. 5), marking the fourth of the season and the first of the new year.
The advisory prohibits indoor and outdoor burning of wood, manufactured logs or any other solid fuel, meaning it is illegal for Bay Area residents and businesses to use their fireplaces, woodstoves and inserts, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other wood-burning devices.
“Wood smoke poses serious health risks and is particularly harmful to children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems,” air district executive director Jack Broadbent said in a prepared statement. “Bay Area residents must refraining from burning wood while this winter Spare the Air alert is in effect, to protect their health and the health of their neighbors.”
The alerts are issued when air quality is forecast to be unhealthy with weather conditions
The Winter Spare the Air season runs from Nov. 1 through Feb. 28 and Bay Area residents are advised to check the daily burn status at www.baaqmd.gov or www.sparetheair.org.
Air pollution stinks.
I wonder how much of the small particulate contamination is from the leaf blowers, mandated by an earlier council in lieu of the water sweep that holds down the dust. How about a No-Blow day?
How about just raking your leaves instead of wasting water or gasoline?
This is just a cover…they’re trying to show that Christmas and Thankgiving aren’t the only spare the air days for the season.
Kudos to PA Online for this article!
Amazingly, upon checking 5 local papers:
SF/Peninsula Examiner
Daily Post
Daily News
SM Daily Journal
SF Chronicle,
only the Journal listed the alert (on pg. 5 under ‘Local Briefs’ where it also described it and provided contact info. However, it was not listed under Local Forecast on pg. 2).
The Post didn’t even have a weather forecast
The News has a weather forecast by the masthead but didn’t list the alert. On the last page, the detailed weather page, has a ‘smog outlook’ that shows ‘unhealthy’ levels for the North Bay, but no mention of an alert.
The Examiner has a weather outlook by its masthead – no mention of the alert. The Weather page indicates that the air quality is moderate! (it is for the coast – but only one section needs to have unhealthy air for an alert to be called).
The Chronicle doesn’t list it on the front page or anywhere else. On the weather page is a color-coded bubble legend that shows what the AQ is for cities – you could see that the North Bay has unhealthy air – but only after studying the legend for a while – it doesn’t jump out at you.
So to those folks who complain about not being informed as to whether an alert has been called, I’d have to say the print media is NOT doing it’s job!