http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Wine-Country-fires-smoke-fouls-Bay-Area-air-12274314.php
Updated 11:26 pm, Thursday, October 12, 2017
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Mrunalini Kulkarni photographed the smog seen in Oakland on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017.
Mrunalini Kulkarni photographed the smog seen in Oakland on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Mrunalini Kulkarni
Sharie Michalec photographed the smog seen in Benicia on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017.
Sharie Michalec photographed the smog seen in Benicia on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Sharie Michalec
Carlin DeCato photographed the smog seen in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017.
Carlin DeCato photographed the smog seen in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Carlin DeCato
Arie Quick photographed the smog seen in Danville on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017.
Arie Quick photographed the smog seen in Danville on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Arie Quick
Serajeddin Dabnun photographed the smog seen in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017.
Serajeddin Dabnun photographed the smog seen in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Serajeddin Dabnun
Larry Braverman photographed the smog over San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 9, 2017.
Larry Braverman photographed the smog over San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Larry Braverman
Jonathan Leonard photographed the smog over San Francisco on Oct. 9, 2017.
Jonathan Leonard photographed the smog over San Francisco on Oct. 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Jonathan Leonard
Claudia Rice photographed the smog over the Berkeley Marina.
Claudia Rice photographed the smog over the Berkeley Marina.
Photo: Courtesy Of Claudia Rice
Michael Hanrahan photographed the smog over San Francisco from Hawk Hill on Oct. 9, 2017.
Michael Hanrahan photographed the smog over San Francisco from Hawk Hill on Oct. 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Michael Hanrahan
Bradley Wittke photographed the sunset in Pacifica on Oct. 9, 2017.
Bradley Wittke photographed the sunset in Pacifica on Oct. 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Bradley Wittke
Angelo Bresci photographed the smog shown over San Pablo Bay, south of Petluma on Oct. 9, 2017.
Angelo Bresci photographed the smog shown over San Pablo Bay, south of Petluma on Oct. 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Angelo Bresci
Carole Schurch photographed the smog over San Francisco.
Carole Schurch photographed the smog over San Francisco.
Photo: Courtesy Of Carole Schurch
Elisabeth Lemos photographed the smog over San Francisco on Oct. 9, 2017.
Elisabeth Lemos photographed the smog over San Francisco on Oct. 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Elisabeth Lemos
Jordan Aylesworth photographed the smog over San Francisco from the Golden Gate Club on Oct. 9, 2017.
Jordan Aylesworth photographed the smog over San Francisco from the Golden Gate Club on Oct. 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Jordan Aylesworth
Bob Winters photographed the smog shown over San Francisco on Oct. 09, 2017.
Bob Winters photographed the smog shown over San Francisco on Oct. 09, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Bob Winters
Jennie photographed the smog over Oakland on Oct. 9, 2017.
Jennie photographed the smog over Oakland on Oct. 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Jennie
Tim Pori photographed the smog over San Francisco.
Tim Pori photographed the smog over San Francisco.
Photo: Courtesy Of Tim Pori
Liz Lawrence photographed the smog over San Francisco on Oct. 09, 2017.
Liz Lawrence photographed the smog over San Francisco on Oct. 09, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Liz Lawrence
Patty photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Patty photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Patty
Ekaterina Stanton photographed the sunrise over Pacific Heights in San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Ekaterina Stanton photographed the sunrise over Pacific Heights in San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Ekaterina Stanton
Brenda Billings photographed the sunrise near Candlestick Point.
Brenda Billings photographed the sunrise near Candlestick Point.
Photo: Courtesy Of Brenda Billings
The sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
The sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Dianna
Alfonso Salcedo photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Alfonso Salcedo photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Alfonso Salcedo
@masongoes photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
@masongoes photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Instagram / Masongoes
Lennaine Moran photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Lennaine Moran photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Lennaine Moran
@lifes_a_north_beach photographed the sunrise through hazy conditions from North Beach in San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
@lifes_a_north_beach photographed the sunrise through hazy conditions from North Beach in San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Instagram / Lifes_a_north_beach
The sunrise from Alamo Square on October 9, 2017.
The sunrise from Alamo Square on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Micahel Turon
@meg photographed the smokey and ashy sunrise from the Embarcadero on October 9, 2017.
@meg photographed the smokey and ashy sunrise from the Embarcadero on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Instagram / Meg
Sharie Michalec photographed the sunrise on a ferry heading into San Francisco from the Vallejo terminal.
Sharie Michalec photographed the sunrise on a ferry heading into San Francisco from the Vallejo terminal.
Photo: Courtesy Of Sharie Michalec
Ekaterina Stanton photographed the sunrise over Pacific Heights in San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Ekaterina Stanton photographed the sunrise over Pacific Heights in San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Ekaterina Stanton
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Photo: Amy Graff
@jayslu photographed the smoke in the air causing an extraordinary color display at dawn in Emeryville on October 9, 2017.
@jayslu photographed the smoke in the air causing an extraordinary color display at dawn in Emeryville on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Instagram / Jayslu
Eliza Hart photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Eliza Hart photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Eliza Hart
Lisa Surdulescu photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Lisa Surdulescu photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Lisa Surdulescu
A blood red sky in San Francisco, Oct. 9, 2017: View of downtown taken from Pacific Heights
A blood red sky in San Francisco, Oct. 9, 2017: View of downtown taken from Pacific Heights
Photo: S.P. Young
Tanish Peelgrane photographed the sunrise in the Outter Richmond on October 9, 2017.
Tanish Peelgrane photographed the sunrise in the Outter Richmond on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Tanish Peelgrane
Alfonso Salcedo photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Alfonso Salcedo photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Alfonso Salcedo
The sunrise from San Rafael on October 9, 2017.
The sunrise from San Rafael on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Lynn Gray
Andrei photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Andrei photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Andrei
Nick Rozsa photographed the sunrise over St. Hilary’s Church in Tiburon on October 9, 2017.
Nick Rozsa photographed the sunrise over St. Hilary’s Church in Tiburon on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Nick Rozsa
28th Balboa at 7:55am October 9, 2017.
28th Balboa at 7:55am October 9, 2017.
Photo: Larisa Kure
The view over San Pablo Bay from San Rafael on Octobe 9, 2017.
The view over San Pablo Bay from San Rafael on Octobe 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Mary Jane O’Brien
Connor Green photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Connor Green photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Connor Green
Michael Spring photographed the sunrise over San Francisco from Twin Peaks on October 9, 2017.
Michael Spring photographed the sunrise over San Francisco from Twin Peaks on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Michael Spring
Michael Spring photographed the sunrise over San Francisco from Twin Peaks on October 9, 2017.
Michael Spring photographed the sunrise over San Francisco from Twin Peaks on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Michael Spring
Melisa Martin photographed the sunrise on Interstate 280 North on October 9, 2017.
Melisa Martin photographed the sunrise on Interstate 280 North on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Melisa Martin
Looking up Moraga towards Sutro Tower, about 7 a.m. on October 9, 2017.
Looking up Moraga towards Sutro Tower, about 7 a.m. on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Beth Stevens
Krista photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Krista photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Krista
The sunrise over San Rafael on October 9, 2017.
The sunrise over San Rafael on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Bill Disbrow/ SFGATE
American Canyon 7:50 a.m. on Oct. 9, 2017
American Canyon 7:50 a.m. on Oct. 9, 2017
Photo: Kristine Boncato
The Bay Bridge is shrouded in haze at sunrise on October 9, 2017.
The Bay Bridge is shrouded in haze at sunrise on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Brian Wanueka
With a smoke-filled sky on Oct. 9, 2017, the Golden Gate Bridge wasn’t even visible in San Francisco.
With a smoke-filled sky on Oct. 9, 2017, the Golden Gate Bridge wasn’t even visible in San Francisco.
Photo: Amy Graff
The view from Dogpatch in San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
The view from Dogpatch in San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Instagram / Sflemz
Smokey sunrise, Petaluma on
October 9, 2017.
Smokey sunrise, Petaluma on
October 9, 2017.
Photo: Hilary Minor
The view from Pacific Heights on October 9, 2017.
The view from Pacific Heights on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Richtenbacher Shankshifter Mrazik
The sunrise over Lake Merritt on October 9, 2017.
The sunrise over Lake Merritt on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Kimberley O’Keefe
Briggs Donaldson photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Briggs Donaldson photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Briggs Donaldson
Allison Baca photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Allison Baca photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Allison Baca
Smoke-filled view of San Francisco from Jasper, Oct. 9, 2017
Smoke-filled view of San Francisco from Jasper, Oct. 9, 2017
Photo: Amy Graff
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Photo: Amy Graff
The view from Sausalito on October 9, 2017.
The view from Sausalito on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Lynn Augstein
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Photo: Amy Graff
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Photo: Amy Graff
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Photo: Amy Graff
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Photo: Amy Graff
Lynn Augstein photographed the sunrise on Sausalito on October 9, 2017.
Lynn Augstein photographed the sunrise on Sausalito on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Lynn Augstein
Phil Johnson photograohed the sunrise over Raccoon Strait in Tiburon on October 9, 2017.
Phil Johnson photograohed the sunrise over Raccoon Strait in Tiburon on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Phil Johnson
Martha White photographed the sunrise over San Rafael on October 9, 2017.
Martha White photographed the sunrise over San Rafael on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Martha White
Lynn Gray photographed the sunrise in the Bay Area on October 9, 2017.
Lynn Gray photographed the sunrise in the Bay Area on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Lynn Gray
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Photo: Amy Graff
Barbara Schnur photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Barbara Schnur photographed the sunrise over San Francisco on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Of Barbara Schnur
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Views of San Francisco’s skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Photo: Amy Graff
Sunrise in San Mateo on October 9, 2017.
Sunrise in San Mateo on October 9, 2017.
Photo: Courtesy Jen Smith
The air quality in much of the Bay Area this week has at times been comparable to — or even worse than —Beijing, one of the most notoriously polluted cities in the world, as smoke from the Wine Country wildfires drifts south and settles over the region.
Smoke-choked residents wore masks while biking or walking to work, and even on BART trains and inside offices. Schools kept restless students indoors all day, or canceled classes altogether. A hundred miles from the fires, people showed up in emergency rooms saying they were having trouble breathing.
The brown-hued sunlight, ash falling like snow, and a persistent campfire smell are the obvious signs of heavy pollution. But more concerning are the invisible, noxious particulates carried in the smoke. These microscopic particles are easily inhaled and can make their way deep into the lungs, causing damage to the delicate tissue.
The poor air quality prompted widespread public health advisories, especially directed at people who already have respiratory problems like asthma or emphysema and who can have serious complications from inhaling smoke. People with heart conditions may also be at increased risk of heart attack or stroke from exposure to particulates.
But otherwise healthy people also can suffer. Smoke pollutants can cause eye, nose and throat irritation. If people spend too much time outside, they may start coughing, or develop a headache or overall fatigue.
This model shows the flow of smoke in the Bay Area on Thursday, October 12, 2017.
Media: San Francisco Chronicle
“This is definitely impacting everybody,” said Dr. Thomas Dailey, medical director of pulmonary medicine at Kaiser Santa Clara. “Patients with emphysema and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and asthma are having shortness of breath or other exacerbations. Even patients who don’t have underlying lung conditions are reporting that their chests feel tight and they’re coughing more.”
Hospitals around the Bay Area have reported upticks in people with symptoms like breathing difficulty, severe coughing or tightness in their chest. Solano County alone reported that 23 people sickened by the pollution had been treated in emergency rooms. Dozens of schools around the region have canceled classes for the remainder of the week.
Outdoor exercise is especially ill-advised. When people work out, they breathe faster and usually through their mouth instead of their nose, all of which increases the amount of pollutants they inhale. Many school athletic programs have canceled or postponed games. This weekend, at least four major running events were canceled due to smoke, including a half marathon in San Francisco and a 31-mile ultramarathon in Muir Beach.
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Winds ease, but Wine Country fire death toll rises to 31
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In smoke-filled Napa Valley, residents hold their breath over what’s to come
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Watch smoke from the Wine Country fires flow across California
Bay Area stores that sell air purifiers and face masks that block pollutants have been overrun. Many places in the North Bay have been sold out of masks for days, though supplies have been donated to many evacuation centers. Cole Hardware in San Francisco sold out of air purifiers about 20 minutes after getting a new shipment Thursday morning, customers said.
The worst conditions have been in the North Bay areas consumed by smoke. But by Thursday afternoon, as 21 blazes raged statewide, air quality in the East Bay, San Francisco and other pockets around the region was also terrible, rivaling a typical afternoon in Beijing, according to Richard Muller, a UC Berkeley physics professor who created a map that compares air-quality levels around the world.
The air-quality index, a number that takes into account several types of pollutants, was hovering around 160 for the Bay Area most of Thursday. A healthy level is 50 or lower, which is typical for the area; the worst level is 500. The air is expected to remain unhealthy for at least the next two days, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
Public health and air-quality experts advised people to stay inside with doors and windows closed when possible. Those with pre-existing respiratory and heart conditions should wear masks that block small particles when outside.
Sherry Katz of Berkeley, who teaches history at San Francisco State University, has asthma that in the past has been exacerbated by smoky conditions. She’s avoided complications this week, she said, largely because she’s been taking pains to keep out of the smoke.
To avoid going outside, she worked from home several days, until she had to go into the city Thursday to teach. When she smelled smoke in her classroom, she switched to a different building with better air circulation. And she wore a mask all day, even while in front of the class.
“I know smoke is a trigger for my asthma,” Katz said. “It’s a scary feeling when you can’t breathe very well.”
Katz’s husband, Dr. John Balmes, studies the health effects of air pollutants at the Human Exposure Laboratory at UCSF and has special expertise in wildland fire smoke. He’s studied pollution in Beijing too, and the Bay Area’s air this week has reminded him of China’s dirty, dusty skies.
Several days or even a week of smoke exposure probably isn’t going to cause chronic health problems in otherwise healthy people, Balmes said. And even people who have heart or lung problems already are unlikely to suffer lasting damage from the pollution.
Still, inhaling small particles is never good.
“The public health message is: ‘You shouldn’t be out there,’” Balmes said. “Why expose yourself to a toxin if you don’t need to?”
Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday
To protect yourself
Stay inside with doors and windows closed. Do not use air conditioners or heaters that bring in air from the outside.
If you are not home, seek out public spaces like libraries, movie theaters or shopping malls that use recirculated air. Call ahead to make sure they have air filters.
In San Francisco, these libraries have air filters and are open on Friday during the following hours:
San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin St., noon to 6 p.m.
Chinatown Branch Library, 1135 Powell St., 1 to 6 p.m.
Mission Bay Branch Library, 960 Fourth St., 1 to 6 p.m.
Glen Park Branch Library, 2825 Diamond St.,
1 to 6 p.m.
If you are outside, limit exertion.
Wear a mask that keeps out small particles. N95 masks are the most common and can be purchased at hardware stores, pharmacies or stores like Walmart.
Seek medical attention if you have difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest pain, nausea or dizziness that is not resolved by going inside or getting away from smoke.
Dangers of smoke exposure
For people with pre-existing respiratory conditions, smoke inhalation can cause a flareup of symptoms that may not respond well to normal medication and other therapy.
Otherwise healthy people can suffer eye, nose and throat irritation, or develop a cough, headache or overall fatigue.
Children may be especially at risk because their lungs are still developing.
Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Wine-Country-fires-smoke-fouls-Bay-Area-air-12274314.php