AIR QUALITY OFFICIALS ISSUE GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING SMOKE RISK

RALEIGH - As wildfires in Eastern North Carolina could continue burning for weeks, air quality officials today issued guidelines for citizens to use in gauging local air pollution due to smoke.

The state Division of Air Quality (DAQ) has been issuing daily air forecasts with its best estimates of air quality conditions related to the fires, but those forecasts are dependent on local conditions, variable winds and weather patterns that can change on short notice.

"Citizens throughout Eastern North Carolina could encounter heavy smoke and air pollution if they are downwind from the fires," DAQ Director Keith Overcash said. "If citizens observe thick haze and strong smoky odors in their area, they should take precautions to limit their exposure."

Wildfires at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge and the Dismal Swamp of Southeastern Virginia are blanketing many coastal communities with heavy smoke that could contain high levels of particle pollution. Air quality monitors have measured unhealthy air pollution levels in areas downwind of the fires, even as far west as Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem at times.

The DAQ has a network of monitors across the state to measure air quality conditions and has set up temporary monitors around the Pocosin Lakes fire. However, the division does not have enough equipment or manpower to place monitors in every city or county, so it has developed the following guidelines for citizens to use in assessing local air quality conditions during the current wildfire event:

• If you can smell smoke with no visibility impairment, air quality levels are probably in the Code Orange range, or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. At Code Orange levels, people with heart or lung disease, older adults and children should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion. People who are active outdoors also should take it easier to limit their exposure to particle pollution.
• If you can smell smoke with minor visibility impairment, air quality levels are probably in the Code Red range, or generally Unhealthy. At Code Red levels, people with heart or lung disease, older adults and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion; everyone else should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.
• If you can smell smoke with significant visibility impairment, air quality levels are probably in the Code Purple range, or Very Unhealthy. At Code Purple levels, people with heart or lung disease, older adults and children should avoid all outdoor exertion; everyone else should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion.

In all cases, people with asthma should follow their asthma action plan, and people with heart and respiratory diseases should check with their health-care provider about outdoor activities.

The primary pollutant of concern is fine particles, which are microscopic solids and liquid droplets suspended in the air. Particles can be harmful to breathe and contribute to haze and other air quality problems. Air monitors in Washington and Belhaven have recorded peak hourly particle levels ranging from 1,100 to 2,150 micrograms per cubic meter - or from 30 to 60 times the 24-hour standard of 35 micrograms per cubic meter.

Indoor particle levels can be higher than normal when levels outside are high. However, people are still much safer indoors with their air conditioners running than outside. People in sensitive groups can minimize their risk by limiting their activities, indoors as well as outside.

Fine particles can penetrate deeply into the lungs and be absorbed into the bloodstream, causing or aggravating heart and lung diseases. Persons most susceptible to particle pollution include those with heart and respiratory conditions, the elderly and young children. Symptoms of exposure to high particle levels include: irritation of the eyes, nose and throat; coughing; phlegm; chest pain or tightness; shortness of breath; and asthma attacks. In people with heart disease, short-term exposures have been linked to heart attacks and irregular heartbeats. In extreme cases, particle pollution can cause premature death.

A wide range of sources contribute to particle pollution, including power plants and other industry, cars and trucks, wood stoves and outdoor fires. Smoke from the large wildfire in Hyde, Tyrrell and Washington counties is the primary cause for high particle levels that have blanketed parts of the state for the past two weeks.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has some brochures with more in-depth information on the health risks associated with smoke and particle pollution. The brochures can be viewed on-line at the following web pages:

• How Smoke from Fires Can Affect Your Health, http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=smoke.smokecover
• Particle Pollution and Your Health, http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=particle.cover

The N.C. Division of Air Quality issues daily air forecasts for the Triangle, Charlotte, Asheville, Hickory, Fayetteville and Rocky Mount metropolitan areas. In the Triad, forecasts are issued by the Forsyth County Environmental Affairs Department. For additional information, call 1-888-RU4NCAIR (1-888-784-6224) or visit the DAQ Web site at www.ncair.org or Forsyth County's web site at, http://www.co.forsyth.nc.us/EnvAffairs/

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