UPDATE July 13: The Air Quality Advisory has been extended through 9:00 A.M. on Wednesday, July 14. Smoke is expected to decrease for many areas Tuesday afternoon and evening, the public health recommendations should continue to be followed throughout the advisory area due to the lingering health impacts of long-term exposure to smoke.
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Mesa County Public Health (MCPH) has issued an Air Quality Advisory from 7:00 AM Monday, July 12 to 9:00 AM Tuesday, July 13, due to wildfire smoke.
Areas of moderate to heavy smoke have been observed Monday morning across the county. Smoke will gradually decrease late Monday morning for most areas as atmospheric mixing increases, however smoke could increase again during the mid to late afternoon hours as the fire becomes more active and smoke transported from out-of-state wildfires begins to increase again.
It’s not uncommon in the summer months for haze from fires close or even multiple states away, to impact our air quality.
Public Health Recommendations to Protect Yourself from Wildfire Smoke
- If possible, limit your exposure to smoke. Here are some tips to reduce exposure:
- Avoid Smoky Periods – Smoke often changes over the course of a day. Track conditions and plan your activities to avoid the worst periods of air quality. If visibility is less than five miles due to smoke, the smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy.
- Stay Indoors – Do not go outdoors during periods of increased smoke. If you can’t see the mountains clearly, the air quality may be unhealthy.
- Reduce Activity – Reducing physical activity lowers the amount of inhaled pollutants and reduces health risks during smoke events.
- Watch for Symptoms of Excessive Smoke Exposure – Children, pregnant women, older adults, and those with chronic illnesses are more vulnerable to smoke exposure. If you or someone in your family have symptoms related to smoke exposure such as difficulty breathing, prolonged coughing, or chest pain contact your health care provider.
- Keep Indoor Air Clean – Close all windows and doors. Swamp coolers do not offer filtration. Air conditioners may be run with the fresh air intake closed. If you are unable to keep your indoor air clean or it is too hot, consider relocating to an area with cleaner air.
- Use a do-it-yourself box fan filtration unit to help keep the air in your home clean.
Consider a portable air cleaner that can be used alone or with enhanced central air filtration to effectively remove particles.
Understanding Air Quality Alert Levels
The Air Quality Index, or AQI, is used to measure the level of air pollution. It assigns a value based on the particulate matter in the air. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern.
AQI values at or below 100 are generally thought of as satisfactory. When AQI values are above 100, air quality is unhealthy: at first for certain sensitive groups of people, then for everyone as AQI values get higher.
The AQI is divided into six categories. Each category corresponds to a different level of health concern. Each category also has a specific color. The color makes it easy for people to quickly determine whether air quality is reaching unhealthy levels in their communities.
For more information on air quality conditions and alerts, including real-time readings through a community-sourced monitoring system called Purple Air, visit health.mesacounty.us.
Aviso de calidad del aire para humo proveniente de incendios forestales
Expedido para de Áreas extensas del norte y el centro de Colorado
Expedido en 8:00 AM MDT, lunes 12 de julio Expedido por el Departamento de Salud Pública y Medio Ambiente de Colorado
Áreas cubiertas: condados de Routt, Jackson, Grand, Garfield, Eagle, Summit, Mesa, Delta, Gunnison, Pitkin, Lake, Delta, Montrose, y Gunnison. Las ciudades y puntos de interés incluyen, entre otros Glen
Eden, Clark, Steamboat Springs, Kremmling, Granby, Glenwood Springs, Eagle, Breckenridge, Grand Junction, Aspen, Leadville, Delta, and Gunnison.
Aviso en vigor: 8:30 AM MDT, lunes 12 de julio, 2021 a 9:00 AM MDT, martes, 13 de julio, 2021. Recomendaciones de salud pública: Si el humo es denso o se vuelve denso en su vecindario, es
posible que desee permanecer en áreas cerradas, especialmente quienes padecen enfermedades cardíacas, respiratorias, los más jóvenes y los ancianos. Considere la posibilidad de limitar las
actividades al aire libre cuando haya humo moderado o intenso. Considere la posibilidad de moverse de lugar temporalmente si hay humo en áreas interiores y le hace sentir mal. Si la visibilidad es inferior a
5 millas [aproximadamente 8 km] debido al humo en su vecindario, éste ha alcanzado niveles que no son saludables.
Pronóstico: El lunes por la mañana se observaron áreas con humo de moderado a denso en el área de advertencia, particularmente en el norte del Condado de Routt, en las cercanías del incendio forestal de
Morgan Creek. El humo disminuirá gradualmente a última hora de la mañana del lunes en la mayoría de las áreas afectadas a medida que se mezcle más con la atmósfera; sin embargo, el humo podría
aumentar nuevamente a última hora de la tarde cuando el fuego se intensifique y el humo transportado desde los incendios forestales fuera del estado vuelva a incrementarse. A última hora de la noche del
lunes, el humo comenzará a trasladarse hacia las zonas más bajas que rodean el incendio forestal de Morgan Creek, lo que generará períodos de humo denso a lo largo las zonas de Morgan y Reed Creeks,
Elk River Valley y, finalmente, afectará a las comunidades de Glen Eden y Clark hasta la madrugada del martes. Además, el humo comenzará a asentarse el lunes por la noche en el resto del área de
advertencia de incendios forestales fuera del estado, y se espera la llegada de humo más denso en las zonas de los valles.
Para conocer el pronóstico más reciente sobre el humo, visite: http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/addendum.aspx#smoke
Para más información sobre el humo y su salud, visite: http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/wildfire.aspx
Para conocer la información, los pronósticos y los avisos más recientes sobre las condiciones de la
calidad del aire en todo el estado de Colorado, visite: http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/colorado_summary.aspx
Redes sociales:
http://www.facebook.com/cdphe.apcd