Health department advises monitoring air quality conditions

The Flathead City-County Health Department is encouraging residents to regularly monitor air quality conditions and restrict outdoor activity accordingly as a number of wildfire in the area are impacting air quality.

On Monday, the air quality for Flathead County was listed as unhealthy for sensitive groups. Meaning people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should limit prolonged exertion.

Smoke is made up of a complex mixture of gases and fine particles produced when wood and other organic materials burn. The biggest public health threat from smoke is from fine particles, according to a release from the health department. These microscopic particles can penetrate deep into the lungs causing a range of health problems.

Those most at risk for health issues are the elderly, children, those with respiratory issues or heart disease.

Flathead County has an air quality monitoring station located in Columbia Falls that monitors for these fine particles. The results of this monitoring is posted hourly and can be found by visiting the Health Department’s Air Quality website at flatheadhealth.org or directly to http://svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair/

For those unable to visit the website throughout the day, a visual guide can be downloaded and utilized to use visual distances to determine air quality levels.

Please visit http://svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair/ and follow the restrictions based on the air quality index. The recommendations for outdoor activity based on air quality is as follows:

Good: No restrictions.

Moderate: Sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion.

Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should limit prolonged exertion.

Unhealthy: People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly, and children should avoid any outdoor activity; everyone else should avoid prolonged exertion.

Hazardous: Everyone should avoid any outdoor exertion; people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly, and children should remain indoors.

When the air quality is anything other than good, watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath and reduce exertion, the health department notes.