City Health Officer Advises Residents of Windblown Dust and Ash Concerns

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PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - Long Beach City Health Officer, Dr. Anissa Davis, is advising residents to exercise caution following the South Coast AQMD's extension of its windblown dust and ash advisory. Through this evening, Jan. 15, strong Santa Ana winds are expected throughout the region and the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued Red Flag Warnings and High Wind Warnings throughout the area. While mild winds are expected locally, high winds may disperse ash from the fire impact zones in Los Angeles County with possible impacts in areas to the south and west of these burned areas, including Long Beach.

Ash particles are typically visible in the air or on outdoor surfaces and, because they are a result of household fires, may contain toxic materials when compared with common wood ash, such as those created by campfires. Additionally, they may influence Air Quality Index (AQI) levels, rendering the air unhealthy for sensitive groups such as those with preexisting health conditions like respiratory or heart disease and those who are pregnant, older adults and children.

Members of the Long Beach community are urged to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities in any area directly impacted by smoke, ash or windblown dust. Residents should also take the following precautions:

• Avoid any vigorous outdoor or indoor exertion.
• Remain indoors, especially for people with respiratory or heart disease, those who are pregnant, older adults and children.
• Keep windows and doors closed or seek alternate shelter.
• Run your air conditioner and/or air purifier, if you have one.
• Change the standard air-conditioner filter to a medium or high-efficiency filter. If you have a wall-unit or window-unit air conditioner, set it to "recirculate."
• Avoid the use of a swamp cooler or whole-house fan to prevent bringing additional smoke inside, if possible.
• Avoid using leaf blowers. As an alternative, hose down surfaces with a gentle stream of water, use a shop vacuum or use a broom with softer bristles and lightly dampen the ground beforehand to minimize resuspending any ash.
• Avoid indoor or outdoor wood-burning appliances, including fireplaces, to avoid worsening the health effects of wildfire smoke.
• If you need to work around ash, wear proper personal protective equipment (long sleeve shirts, pants, gloves and safety glasses). A well-fitting respirator such as an N-95 may provide some protection. If you do get ash on your skin, wash it off as soon as possible.

The City continues to provide information about air quality, related to the multiple fires in Los Angeles County, to the community. For fire activity maps and related evacuation notices, air quality updates and more, the community can visit longbeach.gov/emergency.

Media inquiries may be directed to City of Long Beach Joint Information Center at 562.570.NEWS or [email protected].

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