A Spare the Air alert has been issued in the Bay Area for Thursday because of unhealthy air quality expected in the region from motor vehicle exhaust and potential wildfire smoke, air quality officials said today.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued the alert, its eighth of the summer season, because of unhealthy ozone pollution. The pollution will potentially be exacerbated by smoke from the Happy Camp fire in Siskiyou County, air quality officials said.
The alerts are issued whenever pollution is forecast to reach unhealthy levels. The most recent one before Thursday’s was issued for Aug. 1.
The air district encourages Bay Area residents to adopt alternatives to driving alone to work or school.
To find out when an alert has been issued, residents can register at www.sparetheair.org, call (800) HELP-AIR, download the Spare the Air smartphone app or visit the district’s Facebook or Twitter social media sites.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
