FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
19 July 2002
Contact: Pam Milmoe, Boulder County Air Quality
Coordinator, 303-441-1189
A Guide to Exercising in
Smoky Air
High summer temperatures bring
high-ozone alert days, and combined with wildfire smoke, the air quality
can be a problem for the elderly, children and others. Outdoor activities
such as running and biking should also be reconsidered, especially during
the heat of the day.
“People should really be cautious
and take special care when wildfire smoke is at the levels it has been the
last couple days, especially during high-ozone alert days,” said Pam
Milmoe, air quality coordinator for the Boulder County Health Department.
“While air quality levels due to fire smoke have not exceeded our
emission limits this year, they have been high enough to trigger several
health alerts.”
Some of the chemicals contained in
wildfire smoke can cause health problems. For example, particulate matter
or coarse particles such as soot and ash are released in sizes both
visible and invisible to the eye. These particles can reach deep into the
lungs, especially during physical exercise, and may contain irritating and
cancer-causing compounds.
One way to tell if there is
an increased health risk associated with wildfire smoke is to do a quick
visibility test.
The Montana Department of
Environmental Quality has created a useful guide for helping people
understand the health risks associated with fires, including smoke. You
can use this guide to help categorize the risk from smoke.
The guide provides a scale
for assessing visible air quality and assigning a risk category using the
United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index Scale
(AQI). In most cases,
residents can use the visibility column to assess air quality in their
areas.
The table below shows how the system is applied:
|
Air Quality Category (AQI)
|
Visibility
(miles)2
|
|
Good ((0-50)
|
10 or more miles
|
|
Moderate (51-100)
|
5-10 miles
|
|
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups1 (101-150)
|
3-5 miles
|
|
Unhealthy (151-200)
|
1.5 - 3 miles
|
|
Very Unhealthy (201-300)
|
1. - 1.5 miles
|
|
Hazardous (301-500)
|
≤ 1 mile
|
1. Sensitive
groups include: elderly persons; young children (especially children under
7); individuals with pre-existing health conditions like asthma,
emphysema, and cardiovascular disease; and individuals with respiratory
infections like colds or flus.
2. Based
on Montana DEQ empirical study.
As wildfires continue to burn in and around Boulder County and summer
temperatures bring high-ozone alert days, now is the time to exercise
caution to protect your health and your lungs.
Indoor exercise at one of the Boulder County recreation centers or health
clubs is a good alternative to outdoor running or biking. For ozone
danger, postponing a run or bike until late evening ― provided you
have appropriate reflectors and are cautious on roadways ― might be
a good alternative.
You can use the visibility guide to evaluate the air
quality, or for more information on air quality in your area, call the air
quality telephone hotline at 303-782-0211 or 303-758-4848.
Air quality meteorologists are providing updated smoke
and ozone forecasts at least twice daily. You can also access these
forecasts on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s
Air Pollution Control Division web site. The Wildfire Information page can
be accessed from the department's web site at http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/cdphehom.asp.
Click on the Wildfire Information link to access a variety of
information.
For more information, contact Pam Milmoe, Air Quality
Coordinator for Boulder County Health Department, 303-441-1189 or e-mail
her at pmilmoe@co.boulder.co.us |
