Air Quality Advisory Issued for Dust, Wildfire Smoke
Due to expected smoke from wildfires burning in Southern California, and dust from the Colorado river basin, the Clark County Department of Air Quality issued a Dust/Smoke advisory. The advisory will be in effect today to Thursday morning.
Smoke is made of small dust particles and other pollutants that can aggravate respiratory diseases.
At this time, unhealthy levels of air pollution are not occurring. Air Quality officials will continue to monitor conditions and will post an alert on the forecast page of the DAQ website if unhealthy levels actually occur. A link to the forecast page is located at http://redrock.clarkcountynv.gov/forecast/advisory.asp.
PM-10 stands for particulate matter measuring 10 microns or less. PM-2.5 identifies particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers. Both types of particles can be a component of smoke and dust and can aggravate respiratory diseases. Symptoms of exposure may include coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.
Under these advisory conditions, children, seniors and people with chronic respiratory problems, in particular, are urged to stay indoors. Health officials say in general it’s safe for people who don’t have chronic respiratory problems to go outside, though poor air quality may trigger allergy-like symptoms. Health and air quality officials suggest the following tips if you’re concerned about exposure to smoke:
- If you work outdoors, consider wearing a painter’s mask or surgical mask. This will help reduce your exposure to dust and particulates.
- Limit outdoor exertion. Exercise, for example, makes you breathe heavier and increases the amount of particulates you are likely to inhale.
- Keep windows closed. Run your air conditioner inside your house and car. Your air conditioner filters out dust and particulates.
- Consider changing your indoor air filters if they are dirty.
- Use your prescription allergy medication or over-the-counter hay fever or sinus medications if you experience symptoms of itchy eyes, a runny nose, or congestion.
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Clark County is a dynamic and innovative organization dedicated to providing top-quality service with integrity, respect and accountability. With jurisdiction over the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and covering an area the size of New Jersey, Clark is the nation’s 14th-largest county and provides extensive regional services to more than 2 million citizens and 42 million visitors a year. Included are the nation’s 8th-busiest airport, air quality compliance, social services and the state’s largest public hospital, University Medical Center. The County also provides municipal services that are traditionally provided by cities to almost 900,000 residents in the unincorporated area. Those include fire protection, roads and other public works, parks and recreation, and planning and development.