AQAW2021 — Air Quality Awareness Week 2021 — is here and underway!
Wildfires and smoke, in particular, made 2020 a challenging year for air quality in much of California. The Mojave Desert was no exception.
To that end, the Mojave Desert AQMD issued six smoke advisories between June and December last year. But don’t let that number fool you. One of those advisories was in place for nearly two full months. The smoke from the Bob Cat and El Dorado fires persisted, making air quality unhealthy until early November.
It’s all the more appropriate to again this year kick off Air Quality Awareness Week with a deeper dive into wildfires and smoke and how they impact our air.
According to the U.S. EPA, the biggest health threat from smoke is from fine particles. These microscopic particles can get into your eyes and respiratory system. Once there, they can cause numerous health problems. Fine particles also can aggravate chronic heart and lung diseases.
If you’re healthy, you’re usually not at a major risk from short-term exposures to smoke. Still, it’s a good idea to avoid breathing smoke if you can help it.
Spend some time for AQAW2021 Day 1 learning more at this page.
Follow MDAQMD on social media to get smoke advisories as they’re released. You can also sign up to receive alerts in your email inbox.