Heat Sparks Air Quality Worries

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Southwest Clean Air Agency have issued an air quality advisory for today through at least 8:00 PM, Friday for the Portland/Vancouver Metro and Salem areas. It’s due to the elevated levels of ozone pollution or smog D.E.Q. expects for Thursday and Friday, that could be unhealthy for sensitive groups, including children, pregnant women, older adults. And people with heart disease or respiratory conditions.

Dr. Douglas Cooper explains how it affects his patients with lung conditions. “When the air quality is bad, there are patients that have more asthma activity. They’ll use their inhaler more, sometimes using it up earlier. The other thing I see, more so as air quality gets worse, is patients who have asthma attacks that are harder to manage.”

Dr. Janet Eddy says there’s a group of people, often overlooked for how vulnerable they are in these conditions.  “Who I’m really concerned about and are my patients are the outdoor workers. And they’re not just the outdoor workers, they’re the outdoor manual laborers. So they’re out in the hot sun doing a lot of times 10 hour days.  And breathing a lot because they’re working manually. Those people are really at risk.”

And Dr. Afif El Hasan is especially concerned about kids. “You cannot escape air or your need for air. It also has a direct effect on future generations because bad air can lead to bad lung development and all the children that I take care of who have to breathe that air are going to have compromised lung development and long term problems, if they remain exposed to bad air pollution.”

Health experts recommend that sensitive groups limit outdoor activities. People can protect themselves and improve the air quality by reducing pollution from cars, mowers, paint, and aerosols.   Commuters can take public transportation or carpool instead of driving cars.  Businesses can help by encouraging workers to carpool, take a bus or work from home.