Air Quality Report For Glendora: No Burn Alert In Effect

GLENDORA, CA — The San Gabriel Valley air quality index was in the moderate range, mid to high 80s, Tuesday, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The particulates in the air have drifted south from the Camp Fire, some 500 miles north of southern California, reports say.

Particle pollution can be linked to health problems including coughing, wheezing, reduced lung function, asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes, the Environmental Protection Agency said on their website. Those sensitive to particle pollution should stay indoors.

Meanwhile, in an effort to further reduce particulates in the atmosphere, the South Coast Air Quality Management District Tuesday issued a no-burn order to run through Wednesday at midnight.

Read: California's Air Quality Far Exceeds Healthy Standards

"The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a residential no-burn alert for all those living in the South Coast Air Basin, which includes Orange County and non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties," according to a statement issued by the agency.

"SCAQMD reminds residents in these areas that burning wood in their fireplaces or any indoor or outdoor wood-burning device is prohibited during the mandatory wood-burning ban. The no-burn rule prohibits burning wood as well as manufactured fire logs, such as those made from wax or paper."

Air quality in the coastal area hovered at 42 ozone and 129 or "unhealthy for sensitive groups," where children, adults and people with respiratory disease such as asthma should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion," they said, adding that "everyone should limit prolonged outdoor exertion."

No-burn alerts are mandatory in order to protect public health when levels of fine particulate air pollution in the region are forecast to be high. Smoke from wood burning can cause health problems. Particles in wood smoke can get deep into the lungs and cause respiratory problems (including asthma attacks), increases in emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

Read: Smoke from NorCal Chokes LA County

SCAQMD's no-burn alerts do not apply to mountain communities above 3,000 feet in elevation, the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, or the High Desert. Homes that rely on wood as a sole source of heat, low-income households and those without natural gas service also are exempt from the requirement. Gas and other non-wood burning fireplaces are not restricted.

City News Service, with Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributing to this report.

Photo, courtesy Environmental Protection Agency

Photo, courtesy David Okun, smoky sunset sky over San Clemente