Bay Area Spare the Air alerts to become more frequent after air regulators lower threshold
By Carlos E. Castañeda
Bay Area air regulators have lowered the threshold for declaring Spare the Air alerts that ban residents from using their wood-burning fireplaces or outdoor fire pits.
In a press release on Wednesday, the Bay Area Air District said its board of directors approved lowering the threshold of fine particulate matter in daily forecasts that trigger the alerts from 35 to 25 micrograms per cubic meter. The stricter standard means Spare the Air Alerts, which average about 15 a year, will be issued more frequently, to an estimated 19 to 41 alerts per year, the Air District said.
During a Spare the Air Alert, it is illegal for residents and businesses to use their fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or other wood-burning devices, although exemptions are available for homes where wood stoves or fireplaces are the only source of heat.
“Cleaner air benefits every Bay Area resident,” said Air District executive officer Dr. Philip Fine in a prepared statement. “With more protective standards in place, our communities will be healthier, and together we can reduce the pollution that harms our families and neighborhoods.”
The district also expanded exemptions for prescribed burn fees, waiving the fees for all land managers, including nonprofits and private landowners. The fee waiver currently applies only to public agencies, and the district said the amended rule removes a financial barrier to using an effective way to reduce wildfire fuels.
“Prescribed burns reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, which produce far more smoke and cause greater harm to our communities,” said district board chair Lynda Hopkins in a statement. “By supporting beneficial fire while maintaining strict safeguards for air quality, we are protecting both public health and the environment.”
The district said wood smoke is similar to cigarette smoke in that it contains carcinogenic substances, along with high levels of extremely harmful fine particulate matter. Exposure to wood smoke has been linked to serious respiratory illnesses and increased risk of heart attacks, and the district estimated that 94 to 210 premature deaths per year in the Bay Area are attributable to pollution from residential wood burning.
The amendments take place immediately, the district said.
