LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – In response to continuing poor air quality conditions due to wildfires burning east of Clearlake Oaks, air quality officials issued another alert for Tuesday.
Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart said the Wye and Walker fires have resulted in the smoke, haze, and degraded air quality.
On Monday, ozone and particulate levels exceeded state health-based standards for small respirable particulate and ozone (photochemical smog), Gearhart reported.
He said the prediction for Tuesday is for “unhealthy for sensitive individuals” to “unhealthy for everyone” air quality in Lake County.
The Northshore communities, Clearlake and the eastern portions of Lake County are expected to be impacted the most, Gearhart said. Areas closer to the active fires may experience “hazardous” air quality due to the high levels of fine particulates and ozone.
Smokey conditions can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and air passages. These conditions can be hazardous for sensitive individual including young children, the elderly, individuals with heart conditions, and those with chronic lung disease such as asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory conditions.
The extreme heat forecast for Lake County can make the stress worse if combined with physical exertion, he said.
Gearhart said the unhealthy air quality alert results from fine particulate in the smoke and ground
level ozone, generated by combustion products in the smoke combined with the high temperatures, significant sunlight and humidity.
Other chemical reactions reduce visibility by forming secondary particulates that grow in size as they draw moisture out of the air, he said.
Poor air quality, haze, and particulate from the ongoing wildfires is expected to continue throughout Lake County until the fires are out, Gearhart reported.