Residents in the South Willamette Valley are experiencing unhealthy air quality Friday and it’s expected to stick around through Saturday afternoon.
The problem is smoke is from fires in the area, specifically the Middle Fork complex near Oakridge and the Bruler Fire and the Bull Complex further north.
Travis Knudsen is with Lane Regional Air Protection Agency.
“We have a wind direction that is moving the smoke from the north to the south generally across our area,” Knudsen said. “And enough of that smoke is able to move just far enough to the west that it’s then able to descend down the western slope of the cascades and drain into lower elevations which, of course is the Eugene/ Springfield area.”
Knudsen says the wind should shift Saturday afternoon and the air quality should improve late Saturday into Sunday. Knudsen says to avoid outdoor activities as the particulates can cause both short term and long-term health effects.
Knudsen said the long-term impacts of smoke are a bigger concern.
“Those fine particulate matter, when it gets into your lungs it doesn’t leave, because those particles are so fine, they’re able to get so deep,” Knudsen said. “And that creates inflammation in your lung. It’s just a little bit of inflammation but every summer of your life year after year you add just a little bit of particulate matter, eventually that can create more chronic problems.”
Linn and Marion Counties are also under air quality alerts mainly in the Santiam Canyon through Tuesday afternoon. Air quality advisories are in place for Deschutes, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, and Lane Counties according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
Knudsen recomends the website fire.airnow.gov for air quality information statewide and information on trends, recomended actions to protect health and wildfire locations and smoke plumes.
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