High temps and car exhaust prompt Spare-the-Air alert for Tuesday
Heat wave hits the Bay Area
A heat wave kicked off Monday and is expected to linger through Thursday evening. KTVU's Henry Lee reports.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Soaring temperatures and more cars on the roads brought haze back to Bay Area skies this week, prompting air district officials to forecast unhealthy air for the second day in a row.
The district's Spare the Air Alert for Monday was the first of
2020 and Tuesday's air quality isn't going to be any better, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
Light winds combined with triple-digit inland temperatures along
with vehicle exhaust are expected to produce smog, or ozone, accumulation.
"As temperatures and traffic increase in the Bay Area,
unfortunately, so does unhealthy air quality," said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the air district. "When it matters most, we can protect our respiratory health and reduce our exposure to smog by avoiding outdoor activities during the hottest part of the day."
Smog can cause throat irritation, congestion, chest pain, trigger
asthma, inflame the lining of the lungs and worsen bronchitis and emphysema.
Long-term exposure to ozone can reduce lung function. Ozone pollution is particularly harmful for young children, seniors and those with respiratory and heart conditions.
When a Spare the Air Alert is issued, outdoor exercise should be
done only in the early morning hours when ozone concentrations are lower.