Brentwood Press - Index

Brentwood Press - BrentwoodPress_07.25.08 - Index

JULY 25, 2008 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 19A
Outside from page 18A
than 800 new fi res. The governor called
out the National Guard.
By the Fourth of July, an estimated
1,700 wildfi res were burning in the
state of California. Stoked by record
temperatures and swirling winds, the
blazes were more than a match for the
20,000 fi refi ghters marshaled to snuff
them out. By mid-July, more than
800,000 acres of forest had been reduced
to blackened stumps, and nearly
300 fi res were still alive and licking.
The writhing orange plumes of
wildfi res are lethal for obvious reasons.
The second-hand smoke they exhale
into our fi re-free East County skies
carries a more subtle threat. When we
breathe wildfi re smoke, we’re getting
a dose of gases and particulates less
than a micron in diameter, fi ner than
road dust. Wildfi re particulates don’t
merely irritate the eyes; they attack the
lungs and heart. If you fancy yourself
immune to the menace of wildfi re
haze, fancy again. The annual 100-mile
Western States Endurance Run was
recently cancelled due to unsafe air
– the fi rst time in the 31-year history of
the event. Keep in mind: these are the
healthy people, owners of the best sets
of lungs in the West.
One of the populations most
vulnerable to the dangers of wildfi re
smoke is children, whose respiratory
systems are still developing. Our kids
breathe more air per pound of body
weight than we adults, and are likely
to do a good deal of that breathing
outdoors. When public health offi cials
issue those air quality advisories, herd
your little ones indoors.
On the morning of Saturday, June
28, I struck out on the Hardy Canyon
Trail at Round Valley Regional
Preserve to bag a panoramic photo
Meet Dr. Paul Lee, who
earned his Doctor of Dental
Surgery Degree from
University of California,
San Francisco. His goal is
to maintain each patient’s
healthy smile. He is
“Committed to your dental
health… for a lifetime.”
of the haze. The air was rank with the
aroma of charred trees as I scaled the
tallest hill in the park and composed
my shot. Mt. Diablo rose 8 miles to my
west – theoretically. For all I could tell,
the mountain had been plowed under
by developers. It was noon, and at that
moment Byron Airport was recording
a visibility of 6 miles.
Particulate levels for 6-mile visibility
weigh in at an average of 80
micrograms per cubic meter per hour,
a gentle nudge this side of the category
that the air-quality index labels
“Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.” Like
children.
We East County folk were fortunate
to live far enough from the hypocenters
of California’s recent wildfi res
that our homes weren’t turned into
fuel. But we did occupy another kind
of center. Of the major wildfi res that
erupted across the state by late June,
at least 10 occurred within a 60-mile
radius of East County, the closest just
across the San Joaquin River, northeast
of Napa and northwest of Fairfi eld,
where 4,089 scorched acres sent those
pesky particulates wafting our way. No
token smokin’.
As of this writing, the haze is
gone; we can see the mountain again.
But it’s only late July – we’re not out of
the woods. That’s because the woods
aren’t out of the woods. According to
Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the
California Department of Forestry and
Fire Protection, “Historically, we see
the most devastating fi res in September
and October. As we go on this summer,
things will only get drier.”
Got a nose for noxious fumes?
Sensed the scent of burning plants
lately? It’s a whiff of things to come.
To comment on this column, visit
www.thepress.net.
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Joan M. Grimes-Attorney at Law
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