Monday's air quality is the worst this century -- and Tuesday's not much better

[brooklynite]

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Monday's air quality was the worst for Seattle this century. And Tuesday isn't looking much better.

The air quality index readings reached 186 on Monday, and ash started falling in some areas. By the end of the day, more and more places west of the Cascades were classified as having "very unhealthy" air.

And on Tuesday morning, everywhere in Puget Sound except Bellevue and Auburn were rated "very unhealthy." In Lake Forest Park, the air quality rating even went as low as "hazardous," as of 7:45 a.m.

On Tuesday morning, Seattle's AQI was 180, which topped the list for worst air quality in the world on AirVisual. The city was followed by Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (178) and then Portland (172).

Read more: https://www.seattlepi.com/washington-wildfires/article/Monday-air-quality-worst-century-tuesday-smoke-13171263.php

[diddlysquat]

1. Symptoms

can be coughing, headache nausea according to King 5 News. I'm right here and have had
low level nausea and headache the past 3 days.

[brooklynite]

3. Sidebar story is that air quality here is equivalent of smoking 7 cigarettes

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. 7 cigarettes over what period of time?

The day? An hour? All at once?

The pictures I'm seeing are at least as bad as cigarette smoke filled bars or restaurants used to be.

[brooklynite]

6. "Breathing Seattle's air right now is like smoking 7 cigarettes."

Ash and smoke are choking Seattle’s air for the second week in a row, as wildfires smolder in the Cascades and in British Columbia.

As of Tuesday morning, the Air Quality Index in Seattle was at 181, a rating classified as “unhealthy.” In parts of the city, the index rose as high as 220, which is “very unhealthy.” To put it in perspective, an AQI of 150 is roughly equal to smoking seven cigarettes in a day. That means residents should avoid being outside and exerting themselves, particularly people with heart and lung problems, the elderly, and children.

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/8/21/17761908/seattle-air-quality-haze-smoke-wildfire-health

[caraher]

9. In a day

So breathing air for a day at the level described is like smoking 7 cigarettes in 1 day in otherwise clean air.

I do get annoyed by the kind of ambiguity you pointed out... thanks to brooklynite for giving the fuller context!

[maxsolomon]

2. Its worse on the other side of the Cascades

But this is just awful - and I think there's only 1 fire in the Puget Sound basin, over on the Olympic Peninsula near Lake Cushman.

Worse than last summer. Please Rain.

[demigoddess]

5. I love the Puget Sound area but we are at the mercy of California, British Colombia

and some times even China's bad air arrives here.

[Stuart G]

7. This is a link to government analysis of air quality in this area...unhealthy..and very unhealthy

https://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.main


Here is a closer look at the area (link below) ...Note: this may not connect, due to very high usage, if it does not connect, try again, or...just stick with the top connection..it is accurate. If the bottom does not connect, you can use the little hand and move it over Oregon or Washington State. It will click on and you will see the numbers in many areas..

https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_state

For the last 5 years, I have been going to this site, on and off..Why? Just to look at air pollution around the country....The top link will show a USA map...In Washinton, Oregon, and Idaho, the air is very bad..not just bad...

I have been to the site, literally hundreds of times.. No section of the USA..has ever looked this bad, dangerous, and unhealthy....Never..

[A Morpheus Felinae]

8. I live in Seattle where the AQI (Air Quality Index) is currently 188.

A score of 151 to 200 says "everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects." For comparison, today Beijing's AQI is 52.

Just last week, at age 62, I was diagnosed with adult onset asthma so I've been forced to hack up money for an inhaler, a nebulizer and Albuterol. This is the first time in my life I've ever had pulmonary problems.

I have much more to say about this, but I can barely breath due to the smoke blanketing the Puget Sound and now the syphilitic, moron-in-chief currently squatting in the Oval Office is gutting the Clean Air Act so It can line It's pockets and stick-it to It's political enemies.

If I say any more I'm going to get banned for threatening and inappropriate language.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

10. Up here in Whatcom County (We border B. C.)

You can literally cut the air with a knife.

My eyes and throat have been stinging for days now.

The poor folks in the Fraser Valley (in B. C.) are choking on their air. Folks are wearing respirators !