SPOKANE, Wash. - The Spokane region received a poor air-quality rating from the American Lung Association's 2020 "State of the Air" report, with local officials citing wildfire smoke as the main contributor.
The ALA's State of the Air provides reports on the two most widespread outdoor air pollutants, ozone and particle pollution, both harmful to public health.
The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency says from 2017-19, fine particle pollution in the region failed to meet the national, health-based standards on 29 days.
According to the ALA, the Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene area had the 14th-worst short-term particle pollution in the country.
"For decades, our community worked together diligently to improve our air quality,” said Julie Oliver, executive director of Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency. “The efforts of our businesses and individuals were significant in meeting the federal health standards, which we first attained nearly 15 years ago."
Spokane's air quality has been known to fluctuate particularly during wildfire season, reaching unhealthy and even hazardous levels around the summer. At times, Spokane or other regional locations have even recorded the worst air quality level in the country.
"Three of the last five years, smoke from wildfires has had a significant impact on our summer air quality," Oliver said. "With drought-like conditions in the western United States, I am concerned that our area, like so many other areas, will continue to see air quality impacts from wildfires. Therefore, it is important that we continue to prepare as communities and as individuals for more smoke."
In three of the past five wildfire seasons, the region saw at least 13 days of wildfire smoke leading to the failure to meet federal and health-based air quality standards, including 13 in 2018 and 2016 and 16 in 2017. The 2019 season saw just two of those days, while there were 0 in 2016.
The SRCAA offers these tips, saying 80 percent of U.S. wildfires are human caused:
- Never throw cigarettes out your window
- Don't park hot vehicles on the grass
- Make sure trailer chains don't drag on the ground causing sparks
- Clear the perimeter of your house from pine needles and yard waste - Firewise resources
- Check current and forecasted air quality conditions here
- Have a plan in place with your health care team if you have pre-existing health conditions
- Adhere to burn bans
- Report illegal burning
- Extinguish campfires completely
- Have an evacuation plan in place – SRHD resources
