'Spare the Air' Alert Issued for Wednesday Text Size A A A By Katharine Mieszkowski |January 10, 2012 12:55 p.m. |In Environmental Health start discussion Thinkstock images Keep your Fireplaces and fire pits cool on Wednesday. Bay Area air-quality regulators have declared the season's 13th "Winter Spare the Air Alert" when wood burning, both indoors and outdoors, will be illegal. During the winter, wood smoke is the leading cause of wintertime air pollution in the Bay Area, according to air-quality officials. The lack of rain this winter has contributed to frequent alerts, as The Bay Citizen has reported. "In general, storms bring good air quality, because they mix air that's closer to the ground with air that's high up," Jennifer Jones, a public information officer for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, told The Bay Citizen. "It helps dilute or disperse pollution." When the weather is dry and cold, and there is little or no wind, the small particles from wood-burning fires become trapped under a layer of warmer air in the atmosphere. This particulate matter can irritate the lungs, increasing the risk of serious health problems like pneumonia and blood clots. The elderly and children are especially at risk from such pollution. I'm the environmental health editor for the Bay Citizen. I welcome your tips and comments, especially ideas for our Quality of Life blog: http://www.bayci
'Spare the Air' Alert Issued for Wednesday Text Size A A A By Katharine Mieszkowski |January 10, 2012 12:55 p.m. |In Environmental Health start discussion Thinkstock images Keep your Fireplaces and fire pits cool on Wednesday. Bay Area air-quality regulators have declared the season's 13th "Winter S ...
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