Millions in California Warned About Going Outside

Air quality alerts have been issued for parts of California by the National Weather Service (NWS), with burning bans also currently in place.

Why It's Important

Air quality alerts are issued when ozone, particle pollution, and other common air pollutants levels are high within a certain area. High levels of pollution can negatively impact a persons health, particularly those who have preexisting respiratory health conditions such as asthma.

Smoggy orange sunrise cityscape view of Los Angeles and Hollywood from hilltop in the Santa Monica Mountains, taken on an unknown date. GETTY

What To Know

Three air quality alerts are currently in place for all of the South Coast Air Basin. Two are active for Orange County, and non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Another is in place for Calexico, which is further south along the U.S.-Mexico border.

On top of the air quality alerts, no-burns alerts are also active in the same area. These stipulate that burning wood, pellets, and manufactured fire logs in any indoor or outdoor wood-burning device is strictly prohibited to help keep pollution levels down.

There are limited exceptions to this rule, including locations situated above 3,000 feet in elevation, the Coachella Valley, and the High Desert. Residences that solely depend on burning wood for heating, low-income households, and properties without access to natural gas are also exempt.

Using gas appliances is still permitted, as these only produce "very small amounts of particulate matter" compared to a wood-burning devices.

Particles in wood smoke — also known as fine particulate matter or PM2.5 - can get deep into the lungs and cause respiratory problems. According to AirNow, levels of PM2.5 are currently "moderate" in the impacted areas. It advises those who may be "unusually sensitive to particle pollution" to "consider reducing your activity level or shorten the amount of time you are active outdoors."

The NWS advises anyone who is at risk to:

• Stay inside if possible, and keep windows and doors closed
• Avoid intense outdoor activity
• Use air condition or any air purification systems
• Avoid using devices that bring in outside air like a swamp cooler or whole house fan.

What People Are Saying

The National Weather Service: "Particles in smoke can get deep into the lungs and cause health problems (including asthma attacks), increases in emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. No-Burn Days are needed to protect public health when fine particle pollution levels are expected to be high anywhere in the South Coast Air Basin."

What's Next

All three no-burn and air quality alerts will remain active until midnight on Friday, December 27.