Air Quality Advisory


Published on July 28, 2015

A joint air quality advisory issued by the Placer County Public Health Division and Placer County Air Pollution Control District

Advisory for July 28 – July 31, 2015

The Placer County Public Health Officer and Placer County Air Pollution Control District are issuing a joint air quality advisory to notify the public of the potential for poor air quality conditions west of the Dutch Flat and Alta areas, due to smoke from various fires in California.

Smoke may affect areas in Placer County from the valley to Lake Tahoe, depending upon wind direction, until the fire is extinguished. Smoke tends to move downhill into lower elevations in the mornings and may clear out in the afternoon and early evening hours.

The major air pollutant of concern is fine particulate matter. All persons may experience mild symptoms, such as watery or itchy eyes, scratchy throat and mild coughing as a result of exposure to wildfire smoke.  However, more sensitive people, such as the young, aged and those with respiratory conditions, are at greater risk of experiencing more severe symptoms, such as severe coughing, chest pain and difficulty in breathing.

Please avoid unnecessary outdoor activities if you can see or smell smoke.

Here are other recommended ways to reduce your smoke exposure:

  • Stay indoors with the windows and doors closed; run the air conditioner on the recirculation setting.
  • Limit outdoor exertion and physical activity.
  • Leave the smoke-impacted areas until conditions improve, if possible.
  • Reduce unnecessary driving. If traveling through smoke-impacted areas, be sure that your vehicle’s ventilation system is on recirculate.
  • If possible, sensitive individuals who are being negatively affected by smoke should consider relocating to another location that is not currently experiencing smoke impacts until smoke conditions improve in order to avoid long term exposure. 

Anyone experiencing questionable or severe symptoms should contact their health care provider.

Keep in mind that air quality can change rapidly at different times during the day due to wind shifts; therefore, it is important to monitor the smoke throughout the day in your area and make outdoor plans accordingly.

Incident information can be found at Placer. Information on air quality and smoke can be found at APCD or Spare the Air. The Spare the Air website is a useful site to monitor current air quality conditions.