Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Red Sunset
—Misty Zornacki photo
A view from Union Flat Creek as the sun, turned red by smoke which has invaded the area, sets.
The Whitman County Health Department advises people with respiratory conditions to be aware of changing air quality this week due to wildfires in British Columbia. Wheat dust from harvest on the Palouse also contributes to the haze in the air.
As of late Tuesday morning, the Washington State Department of Ecology air quality rating in Pullman and LaCrosse stood at level three (orange) – “unhealthy for sensitive groups” – and at yellow (“moderate”) in Rosalia.
“Folks with a host of respiratory conditions can be affected,” said Troy Henderson, director of Whitman County Health Department.
The DOE defines sensitive groups as “people with heart or lung disease, asthma, diabetes, infants, children, adults older than 65, pregnant women, or who have had a stroke. These people should limit time spent outdoors.”
The DOE measures air quality using a system that counts the amount of particulates – solid pieces of ash or dust – per volume of air.
The county’s health department website links to the DOE’s chart, which is monitored and updated locally at its sites in Rosalia, Steptoe and Pullman.
The DOE’s color-coded chart spans six rating levels from “good” to “hazardous.” At level four (“unhealthy”), the department advises everyone, regardless of health conditions, to limit time spent outdoors, including sports teams, to avoid exercising outdoors.
In 2015, wildfires in the Okanagan and elsewhere in Washington caused higher smoke concentration, which led to some high school football games being canceled in the first week of September. A WSU game was in jeopardy until a shift in air quality in the days before allowed it to go forward.
This year, the smoke so far is not as bad.
As it stands, high school fall sports practices set to begin next week will be unaffected.
(www.whitmancountypublichealth.org)
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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