Gray and orange colors have filled the Los Angeles skyline in recent weeks, along with an air quality advisory warning regarding wildfire smoke drifting toward Southern California.
At the moment, Los Angeles has no active wildfires, but is receiving blowback from blazes around California. Ryan Kittell, a forecaster at National Weather Service, confirmed smoke is drifting toward L.A. from two large wildfires in Central California- the Windy fire and the French fire. As winds shift from the north to the south, smoke is being pushed to the Southern California region. It is expected to clear up after Wednesday, Sept. 29.
Air quality is measured by the Air Quality Index (AQI), which rates the air between 0-500, with higher numbers indicating worsening quality and an increased risk for health concerns. According to IQAir, the air quality in L.A. has been considered “moderate” since last week, rating between 55-60 AQI. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) issued an air quality advisory on Thursday, Sept. 23 and on Sunday, Sept. 26.
Areas closer to the fires in Northern and Central California were seeing the worst air conditions in the United States last week. Three Rivers, located in Tulare County, reached an AQI of 350 on Friday, Sept. 24.
Dr. Ching-Fei Chang, a research mentor for the USC Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship, said people with chronic lung diseases like asthma and pulmonary fibrosis, have a higher chance of being affected by air pollution because carbon monoxide levels can worsen their condition. She added that even people with no pre-existing conditions can risk lung damage if they are exposed to bad air quality for prolonged periods of time.
Wildfires in the Los Angeles area are likely to begin because of the environment, according to Dr. Monalisa Chatterjee, assistant professor at the Dornsife Environmental Studies Program at USC. She said the valley, which is surrounded by mountains, is the perfect place for this to happen, as there is no air movement and pollution accumulates.
“We already have a natural system which is prone to fire, but now [the human population] is exacerbating those conditions,” Chatterjee said.
Chatterjee said the increase of residential areas near high-risk areas, campfires and poorly-maintained electric infrastructure are other man-made reasons for the increasing likelihood of wildfires. Even animals that chew electric wires can start a fire.
“Because it’s so dry due to climate change, and there’s a lot of fuel accumulated, a small spark can start a fire, and that is something we cannot control,” Chatterjee said.
Chang said it was important to check the AQI every morning, especially if you have a chronic lung condition. She recommends that if the air quality is expected to be bad around your area, consider staying close to the beaches, where the AQI is usually lower.
“A lot of people have invested in home and business air filters to try to mitigate transmission [during the pandemic],” Chang said. “This, ironically, is very helpful because it also helps improve indoor air quality during the wildfires.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) released new air quality guidelines last week for the first time in 15 years, as air pollution is a worsening health concern and has caused millions of deaths around the world. Even though L.A. has not seen high fatalities, Chatterjee believes there are still actions that can be done to reduce air pollution around the city, such as increasing forest management techniques by allowing selective burning.
“We need to change our forest management practices and try to break them down in selective fires so we control the fuel and find ways of trapping these pollutants,” Chatterjee said.
“The question of whether we will expect air conditions to rise in the upcoming week will depend on wind speed and direction,” said Bradley Whitaker, the South Coast AQMD media manager.
He believes there could be more smoke entering the region, but as conditions are constantly changing, the organization will monitor the situation and issue an air quality advisory if needed.