Boise has poor air quality due to wildfire smoke. Here’s who will be affected
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality advisory on Friday afternoon for Ada and Canyon counties, among other places in Southwest Idaho.
The advisory warned of “unhealthy” air quality due to wildfire smoke, which will last through 3 p.m. on Monday. The DEQ has put Southwest Idaho in the red “unhealthy” category for air quality through Tuesday.
Open burning is also prohibited for the duration of the advisory, which is any outdoor burning that does not pass through a stack, duct or chimney.
Several wildfires are raging throughout the Northwest, but the Double Creek and Nebo Fires in Oregon and the Ten Mile Fire in Idaho are some of the fires particularly affecting the Treasure Valley’s air quality, according to the National Weather Service in Boise.
The alert in the Treasure Valley will most likely remain in the orange category, according to DEQ Regional Airshed Coordinator Michael Toole, which means the air quality will be unhealthy for sensitive groups, such as the elderly or those with respiratory problems.
But other areas of Southwest Idaho, such as Boise and Valley counties, are expected to see air quality conditions in the “unhealthy” category, or red. Toole said the alert doesn’t necessarily mean the entire region faces poor air quality — rather, it warns particularly vulnerable residents to be cautious.
“The air quality alert that was issued, what that does is it forecast the entire region for worst case,” Toole said. “And that may not be reflective of every area within the Southwest Idaho area.”
Areas that are within the red category will have air that is unhealthy for all individuals. Children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems are advised to avoid prolonged or heavy exertion, and everyone else is recommended to limit prolonged exertion.
The pollutant of concern is PM2.5, a fine particulate matter measured in wildfire smoke.
As of Friday morning, the air quality measuring station in Garden City showed a reading of 135 for PM2.5, which falls into the orange category. But from 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. Friday, the station read above 150, which placed the Boise area in the red category.
You can view the DEQ’s real-time air quality map online.
The White Pine Elementary School station in Boise shows such a low reading because it measures only ground-level ozone, a gas that forms when pollutants react to sunlight. Wildfire smoke means less sunlight and low ground-level ozone levels.
This story was originally published September 9, 2022 at 1:12 PM.
