||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||
Smoke from nearby wildfires has settled over the islands – resulting in unhealthy air quality. San Juan County’s Department of Health and Human Services urges residents to take precautions to protect yourself and family members.
“We have three air quality monitors one on each of the three largest islands (Orcas, San Juan, and Lopez),” said SJC Health Officer Dr. Frank James. “The Purple Air system collects individual monitoring data and can be very useful to see what air quality is like in real time locally.” You can also monitor air quality in our area using Washington Smoke Information Blog or Washington’s Air Monitoring Network map.
Smoke contains very small particles and gases. These particles can get into your eyes and lungs where they can cause health problems. Inhaling smoke is not good for anyone, however, people most likely to have health problems from breathing smoke include people with heart and lung diseases, people with respiratory infections, people with diabetes, stroke survivors, infants, children, pregnant people, and people over 65 years of age.
Here are steps to reduce smoke exposure:
- Limit time outside and avoid strenuous outdoor activity;
- Close windows and doors unless it is too hot to maintain safe temperatures indoors;
- Don’t add to indoor air pollution (e.g., cigarette smoking, burning candles);
- Filter indoor air (HVAC system, HEPA portable air cleaner, DIY box fan filter);
- Set air conditioner to circulate;
- Seek cleaner air elsewhere if needed and possible;
- If you must go outside, wear a properly fitted particle respirator, like a N95 mask.
It is important to monitor symptoms of smoke exposure. Symptoms include burning eyes, coughing, throat and nose irritation, headaches, fatigue, wheezing and shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, and chest pain. If your symptoms become serious seek medical attention immediately.
Relevant URLs:
- Washington Air Quality Guide for Particle Pollution
- https://map.purpleair.com/1/mAQI/a10/p604800/cC0#9.83/48.5655/-122.8655
- https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/air-quality/smoke-fires
- https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/
- https://enviwa.ecology.wa.gov/
About San Juan County’s Department of Health and Community Services
San Juan County’s Department of Health and Community Services is responsible for community and environmental health, mental health and substance abuse programs, senior services, affordable housing projects, and more. The department has staff and offices on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Islands. For more information about San Juan County’s Department of Health and Community Services, visit www.sanjuanco.com/1777/Health-Community-Services.
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By the time this County press release was issued about mid-morning, — and I don’t know when it was published here, probably early afternoon — the intense smoke was subsiding and much of the danger had passed. But parts of Orcas Island, including the Eastsound area where the County’s Purple Air monitor is located (at the Senior Center) had already experienced Very Unhealthy and even Hazardous conditions, according to the EPAs’s published Air Quality Index (AQI), with AQI values in the 200s and a few exceeding 300.
One cannot expect the average citizen to be able to read and understand these numbers, given the complexities and assumptions involved, nor to even pay attention to the Purple Air maps. To the practiced eye, however, it was obvious by Tuesday noon that a dense cloud of wildfire smoke was moving down the Fraser River Gap and headed straight for Orcas Island, reaching its northern parts and Eastsound by early afternoon. At that point, a watchful health department official COULD have seen what was transpiring and issued an alert warning citizens (especially the elderly) to stay indoors, wear masks outside, and avoid undue physical exertion while there.
Instead, nothing happened until almost 24 hours later when, prodded by this author and another Orcas resident (who is a nationally recognized authority on air pollution and wildfire smoke), the County issued its belated alert, which you can read above. I think we should expect better from our elected County officials and their well-paid staff. It’s not sufficient to set up a few Purple Air monitors and hope that people will read them, be able to understand what the numbers mean, and act accordingly.
In this instance, the County performance reminds me of a 1970s country rock band: Asleep at the Wheel.