Smoke from three major fires burning in Southern California have fouled the air in central, southern and coastal Los Angeles County, with the bad air expected to hang around at least through Wednesday afternoon and into Thursday, according to a forecast issued by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
The areas expected to remain in the unhealthy category — measuring from 151-200 on the Air Quality Index — due to heavy smoke include: Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles, the SCAQMD reported on Tuesday. In these areas, everyone may experience throat irritation and difficulty breathing, while those with heart disease, children, the elderly or people with asthma should stay indoors.
The less severe category of “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” may affect northern and central Orange County as well as western San Bernardino County. The IE areas include Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga, according to the air management district.
The main culprit is soot, ash and even tiny pieces of metal making up very, very small particles, known as PM2.5 or particles carried in the air as small as 2.5 micrometers in diameter that can penetrate deep into the lungs.
“PM2.5 can make respiratory problems like asthma worse,” said Joe Lyou, president and CEO of the nonprofit Coalition For Clean Air who served 12 years on the SCAQMD governing board. “It has been shown to be related to an increase in emergency room visits for heart attacks, and in heart and lung problems in general.”
The good news is that the Santa Ana winds that whipped the Eaton Fire in Altadena and northeast Pasadena on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning and grew it from 200 acres to 2,200 acres will diminish Wednesday afternoon and Thursday.
“Tonight and tomorrow (Thursday) in the San Gabriel Valley there will be very little wind, less than 10 mph. Basically the San Gabriel Valley is done with winds. We will not see any more winds in that area,” said Mike…
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