That’s the San Francisco skyline off in the distance. Click on the image to see an amazing collection of photos of our smoky skies here. When you click through the first image on the photo gallery is a woman with a scarf over her face. Just click on the right arrow to start viewing the smoky skies images.
After five days of fires in which more that 5000 homes and other buildings were destroyed near where I am living, Napa County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Relucio declared a local health emergency throughout Napa County due to the hazardous waste and materials created by the fires.
We had been getting warnings about “unhealthy” levels of air quality daily since the fires started, but for the first time on Friday, those who have lost their homes were specifically told NOT to clean up fire debris because it was likely to be hazardous.
“The public should not attempt to clean up fire related debris,” Relucio said. “It is not safe. The ashes are toxic. They contain toxic materials.” She went on to note that the reason the ashes are toxics is “synthetic materials in new homes and household hazardous waste.”
I wish I could give you a link to her speech, but I can’t find it online. I saw it on tv news.
The ashes are toxic. The ashes are toxic. And the ashes from this fire are not limited to the debris on the ground. They are in the air all over the entire San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
So when we’re breathing the air from smoky skies, it’s not just ash, it’s toxic ash the the public health department does not want us to even touch.
This is a serous public health issue.
If you live where there are smoky skies from burning buildings, it is imperative to stay in your home with an air filter and wear an appropriate mask when you are outdoors.
