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Orange County Wildfire Creates Unhealthful Air Quality

Feb. 7, 2006

In Orange County, parts of Riverside and Los Angeles counties

Due to the wildfire, smoke has impacted all of Orange County and nearby portions of Los Angeles and Riverside counties.  Concentrations of fine particulates are expected to reach the unhealthy level in these areas.

All individuals are urged to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities in the smoke-impacted areas.

Air quality is predicted to exceed 100 on the Air Quality Index (AQI) all day today due to smoke impacts in the following areas:

Area # Monitoring Area* Description Pollutant AQI
4 South Coastal Los Angeles Unhealthy/Sensitive Individuals PM2.5/10 125
5 Southeast Los Angeles Unhealthy/Sensitive Individuals PM2.5/10 125
12 South Central Los Angeles Unhealthy/Sensitive Individuals PM2.5/10 125
16 Northern Orange County Unhealthy PM2.5/10 155
17 Central Orange County Unhealthy PM2.5/10 155
18 North Coastal Orange County Unhealthy PM2.5/10 155
19 Saddleback Valley Unhealthy PM2.5/10 155
20 Central Orange County Coastal Unhealthy PM2.5/10 155
21 Capistrano Valley Unhealthy PM2.5/10 155
22 Corona Norco Unhealthy/Sensitive PM2.5/10 125
25 Lake Elsinore Unhealthy/Sensitive PM2.5/10 125

 

* To view a map of monitoring areas, click here (pdf, 362kb).

To download a free PDF viewer, please click this icon:

What To Do When Air Pollution Reaches Unhealthy Levels

In areas with UNHEALTHY-SENSITIVE (AQI of 101 to 150) air quality, sensitive or susceptible persons, such as those with heart or lung disease, should minimize outdoor activity.

In areas with UNHEALTHY (AQI of 151 to 200) air quality or an Ozone HEALTH ADVISORY Alert (AQI of 151 to 200 for 1-hour ozone), everyone should discontinue prolonged, vigorous outdoor exercise lasting longer than one hour.  Examples of the kinds of outdoor activities that should be avoided are calisthenics, basketball, running, soccer, football, tennis, swimming laps, and water polo.  Susceptible persons, such as those with heart or lung disease, should avoid outdoor activity entirely.

AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

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This page updated: February 07, 2006
URL: http://www.aqmd.gov/news1/2006/smokestatementPR2_07_06.html

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