Continuing the recent reports of unhealthy air quality, Santa Claritans should expect unhealthy air quality for sensitive individuals, according to county health officials.
Los Angeles County Interim Health Officer, Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, MD, MPH, advises the Santa Clarita Valley that anyone in the area with a heart disease, asthma or other respiratory diseases to minimize outdoor activities.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Now website is estimating the Air Quality Index, AQI, to be around 132 on Sunday which indicates it will be “unhealthy for sensitive individuals.”
Active children and adults and people with lung disease, such as asthma, should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors, according to the EPA’s Air Now website.
California’s current temperatures and air flow could be attributing to the repetitive air quality, according to Ryan Kittell, a Forecaster with National Weather Service.
“We basically have a big lid on top of Southern California,” said Kittell in a previous story published by The Signal.
Kittell explained that the “lid” of warm air prevents the polluted air near the surface from mixing properly with the clean air from above. Kittell also mentioned that temperature inversion usually peaks in July, meaning that Santa Clarita should expect more advisories this summer.
“Another factor is the wind,” said Kittell. “The wind usually blows in from the ocean, so all the pollution from the freeways and the coast gets pushed further inland… So places like inland like Santa Clarita get really bad air quality.”
This latest warning is only issued for Jul 1.
