Air quality in the San Joaquin Valley during the last weeks of December 2017 was declared “unhealthy.” News reports shared that the level of pollution these days was at a 20-year high, however, many residents were not aware of the steps they should take during these days of “bad air” to protect their health and the health of vulnerable family members, including children, the elderly and people with a weak immune system. Our guest, Dolores Weller, director of the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition- CVAQ, discussed the main reasons why the air is so polluted in the SJV basin and the special risks posed by high levels of particles in the air known as PM 2.5. Ms. Weller also questioned why, on days of high air pollution rates, people are not widely getting alerts on the risks and measures to take. She also discussed the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District ‘s claims that they are doing everything possible to clean the air in the region.
Listener Guadalupe, from Merced, CA, welcomed information on this topic.
Listener Maria, from Reedley, CA, shared that she sees school buses leaving trails of gray smoke. What can be done about this? She seeks information on air quality because she has a granddaughter that, at age 7, once fainted because she got a virus infection that was worsened during bad air days. Ms. Maria also points that growers get permits to burn agricultural waste. How is this good for the Valley’s air quality?
