Air quality concerns are ratcheting up in Southern California as a new round of Santa Ana winds blows hazardous dust and wildfire ash across the region. Areas downwind from the recent fires are particularly at risk. These include parts of the San Fernando Valley such as La Canada, La Crescenta and Glendale, as well as communities like Venice and Santa Monica.
California has experienced massive wildfires before, but never has the urban toll been so great. It wasn’t primarily trees and chaparral that burned. Homes and everything in them — electric wiring along with toxic pollutants like benzene and asbestos — burned too.
"We have a lot of bronchitis and believe it or not, we can develop a lot of pneumonias and lung infections from it. We worry about lung cancers. We worry about pulmonary fibrosis," Dr. Ashraf Elsayegh, a pulmonologist, told ABC 7 News.
Elsayegh said the pollutants could remain in the air for up to two years, echoing a stat from the Clean Air Coalition in a recent webinar.
Toxic air is bad for everyone, but children are among the most vulnerable. California schools, which have already been grappling with enrollment declines, are at risk of losing more students over air quality fears. They’ll need to demonstrate their commitment to keeping students safe.
Experts say schools should be limiting outdoor activity right now and running air conditioning systems with high-efficiency air filters. Parents can check to see if their school has a proper air filtration system here. If it doesn't, EdSource recommends contacting the school district or a clean air advocacy group such as Coalition for Clean Air for assistance.
When outdoors, students should wear a tight-fitting KN95 mask, N95 mask or P100 respirator certified by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Public libraries, recreation centers, and senior centers in Los Angeles are currently handing them out for free.
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