Preparing for Oregon’s wildfire smoke season
Wildfire season is here and one of the best tools to keep Oregonians informed about how wildfire smoke affects air quality is the Oregon Smoke Blog. This blog is hosted by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and provides near real-time air quality information gathered from 40 monitoring sites positioned around the state.
The Oregon Smoke blog is a tool designed to empower Oregonians with information to make the best choices they can about where and when to spend time outside. Another tool Oregonians can access are DEQ’s Air Quality Advisories.
How to know when there is unhealthy smoke?
- Bookmark the Oregon Smoke Blog.
- Follow DEQ on Facebook and @ORSmokeInfo on Twitter/X.
- Sign up to receive email notifications about air quality advisories.
If you feel like you’re experiencing poor air quality somewhere DEQ does not have a monitor or when you don’t have cell phone access, use the visibility index. The visibility index is a way to estimate air quality based on how far you can see.
Additionally, every person’s body is different and can react to air pollutants differently. While the AQI scale distinguishes risk levels for sensitive groups, it is important to understand your own needs. If you are unsure how your body may respond to wildfire smoke, please reach out to a health professional for more personal guidance.
What is in an air quality advisory?
DEQ issues air quality advisories for any area forecasted to have air quality categorized as Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or higher for at least 48 hours. These advisories may trigger the activation of local resources, like opening available clean air centers, or cause local organizations to change plans, like rescheduling outdoor events until air quality improves. You can sign up to receive air quality advisories on DEQ’s website.
When DEQ issues an advisory for wildfire smoke, health officials encourage residents to:
- Reduce time spent outdoors when smoke is present.
- Use an indoor high-efficiency air filter (HEPA) or electrostatic precipitator in your home to help create one or more rooms with cleaner air to breathe.
- Set your air conditioning or heating unit to recycle or recirculate when at home or in your car.
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water.
- Reduce other sources of indoor smoke and dust, including: burning cigarettes, candles, gas or propane ranges, wood burning stoves and furnaces, and vacuuming.
- Reduce the time you engage in vigorous outdoor activity.
- If you have heart or lung disease or respiratory illnesses such as asthma, follow your health care provider’s advice about prevention and treatment of symptoms.
- Consider maximizing time in air-conditioned homes or buildings during smoky periods or visit public, air-conditioned places such as libraries, community centers, senior centers, restaurants, and retailers for relief from smoke.
What is the Air Quality Index
DEQ’s monitoring network gathers information about the amount of five main pollutants in the air and codify the risk to public health through the Air Quality Index. The pollutants that make up the Air Quality Index are: particle pollution (also referred to as particulate matter), carbon monoxides, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ground level ozone. The AQI ranges from 0-500 and is divided into five categories with 100 units in each. The more pollution there is in the air, the higher the reading on the Air Quality Index, and the more dangerous it is to breathe.
PM2.5 is the pollutant most closely associated with wildfire smoke. When the sensors detect elevated levels of PM2.5 the air quality index rises, and the circles on the smoke blog map change from green to orange, red, or maroon depending on the proximity and intensity of the smoke.
By Chris Varley, DEQ Public Affairs Specialist