Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Wildfire Smoke Brings Worst Air Quality to Portland, Seattle

Associated Press

   SEATTLE - Smoke pollution from wildfires raging in California and
   across the Pacific Northwest worsened in San Francisco, Seattle and
   Portland, Oregon, on Friday, giving those cities and others in the
   region some of the world's worst air quality.

   Public health officials warned residents to keep indoors with the
   windows shut, to set air conditioners to run on recirculated air
   instead of fresh, and to use air purifiers if they had them. Meanwhile,
   they wrestled with whether to open "smoke shelters" for homeless people
   or others lacking access to clean air amid the COVID-19 pandemic and
   concerns about herding people indoors.

   "The same population that is most vulnerable to the virus is also most
   vulnerable to the smoke," Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said during a news
   conference.

   Winds shift

   The sky turned a hazy, grayish white across the Northwest as winds that
   had previously pushed much of the smoke offshore shifted, bringing
   unhealthy levels of near-microscopic dust, soot and ash particles to
   Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. San Francisco also
   continued to suffer from smoke pollution; those four cities topped the
   list of major cities with the worst air quality Friday, according to
   IQAir.com, which tracks air quality around the world.

   The particles are small enough that they can penetrate deep into the
   lungs, and health effects can include chest pain, arrhythmia and
   bronchitis. Those with preexisting conditions such as heart and lung
   disease or asthma are especially at risk.

.