Mendocino Complex fires cause hazardous air pollution levels in Lake County

Lake County officials issued a health advisory Tuesday as wildfire smoke continued blanketing skies in the region, causing hazardous levels of air pollution.

The Lake County Air Quality Management District said smoke from the Ranch and River fires has exceeded the maximum range on the air quality index, a government-created system used to measure airborne pollution and its associated health impacts.

Particulate levels range from unhealthy to hazardous throughout the county, and smoke is forecast to remain a problem through today at least, depending on the weather and how the fires behave, officials said. Shifting winds may periodically improve air quality.

Air quality in Sonoma County was listed as good Tuesday, with no health impacts because of particle pollution, which can come from wildfires, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District.

Today through Friday, air quality is expected to shift to moderate, meaning unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion in areas including Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Windsor, Sebastopol, Sonoma and Petaluma.

In Lake County, officials recommend residents stay inside as much as possible and limit physical activity. Air-purifying respirators can be helpful, but officials cautioned they also make people work harder to breathe and can cause stress.

Dust masks aren’t recommended because they don’t protect people against ultra-fine particulate - the most detrimental pollutant caused by smoke from wildfires, the air quality district said in a statement.

The air quality conditions can be particularly hazardous for sensitive populations such as children and the elderly, as well as people with heart conditions or chronic lung diseases. People with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and other lung or heart diseases are encouraged to maintain at least a five-day supply of their medications.

The district also recommended the public reduce other sources of air pollution such as smoking, frying meat and using aerosol products.

Hazardous air quality levels can be expected in parts of the county over the next several days until firefighters get more control over the blazes, known collectively as the Mendocino Complex, and the weather improves.

You can reach Staff Writer J.D. Morris at 707-521-5337 or jd.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @thejdmorris.