The 10th “Winter Spare the Air” alert of the season has been issued for Saturday, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
The alert means that Bay Area residents will not be able to burn wood for 24 hours because a high-pressure weather system has caused an unhealthy level of wood smoke and particle pollution in the air.
“Wood smoke is the other ‘second-hand smoke,'” air district executive officer Jack Broadbent said in a statement. “In the Bay Area, it’s the single largest source of air pollution on still winter days.”
Residents are not allowed to use fireplaces, woodstoves, fire pits or other wood-burning devices on Saturday. Homes where those items are the only source of heat are exempt from the restriction, according to the air district.
First-time violators will be given the option of taking a wood smoke awareness class, but will be fined $500 for a second offense. The Winter Spare the Air season runs from Nov. 1 through Feb. 28. Residents can call 877-4-NO-BURN to learn whether an alert has been issued each day. People can also sign up to receive alerts at www.sparetheair.org.
By
By
By
Protect all our kids health. Don’t light up unless it is really raining.
Whoop-de-doo! Air Quality Index for tomorrow is predicted to be MODERATE!!! So let’s ban fires for everybody! Yippee! And please, Spare the Air, declare another one for Superbowl Sunday, and call out all your enforcers so they can add to the pollution and miss the Niners-Ravens Harbaugh Bowl.
And, you tell ’em, “common sense!” And while you’re at it, don’t forget that common sense is what tells you that the world is flat.
On the other hand, explain why all this money and effort is being wasted on the few fireplaces left, instead of focusing on the serious polluters. Richmond refinery, anybody?
@Think About It,
Move to Beijing so you can enjoy more airborne particulates. Saturday’s PM2.5 is predicted to be 102. When the air doesn’t move, the local sources are more significant.
Geez, Anonymous from somewhere not listed, amazing! Saturday’s high index turned out to be 71. That’s moderate, and not even moderately high. I somehow don’t think Beijing’s problems come from fireplaces, Anonymous. Meanwhile, since you’re suggesting places for me to go, hows about you move closer to the Richmond refinery, since you think the problem is down here in Palo Alto?
Don’t tell them where you got the correct PM2.5 number of 71 for 2/2/13. They’ll shut down that site, too.
The World Health Organization(WHO)
The World Health Organization issued “Air Quality Guidelines” for fine particles in 2005. The recommended standard for PM2.5 is no graeter than 25 micrograms per cubic meter are allowed within the 24-hour period of time, and 10 micrograms per cubic meter are allowed within the aunual period of time.
The United States
The Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) issued PM2.5 concentration standard in 2006, the standard is no greater than 35 micrograms per cubic meter are allowed within the 24-hour period of time. Within the annual period of time, the restriction is no greater than 15 micrograms per cubic meter.