Air Quality Monitoring

Climate Change is real and affects health in many ways. If you see or smell smoke in the immediate area, limit or avoid outdoor activity, including exercise. This particularly applies to children and older adults, people with breathing or heart issues, such as asthma, and pregnant individuals. As part of the City's Climate Action Plan and Environmental Justice Element work, air quality monitoring helps to identify areas of air pollution and is a first alert to community members on when to take steps to prevent prolonged exposure to poor air quality. 

If air quality is forecast to be unhealthy, a Spare the Air Alert will be called by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The alert will be in effect the entire next day, for a full 24 hours. See the figure for guidance from Alameda County Public Health Department on air quality index and corresponding recommendations.

Portable Air Monitors

Portable air monitors are available for free for up to three weeks on loan for any City of San Leandro Library patron through the San Leandro Library of Things. The monitors are Temtop M2000C and Temtop LKC-1000S models. These can help community members track air quality along a walkable route, at their home, or workplace where there are no monitors in place.

Prevention

Bay Area residents impacted by wildfire smoke are advised by the Alameda County Public Health Department to:

• Stay indoors with windows and doors closed, where air quality is better.
• Keep indoor air cool or visit an air-cooling center.
• Set home and car ventilation systems on re-circulate to prevent drawing in outside air.
• Stay hydrated by drinking water.
• Limit or avoid outdoor recreational and sports activities.
• Use an air filter, especially if there are household members with heart disease, asthma or other respiratory conditions, or elderly persons and children.
• Avoid using wood-burning stoves or fireplaces, lawn mowing, leaf blowing, burning candles and incense, barbecuing, smoking.
• If possible, leave the affected area for the duration of a heavy smoke event.

For more resources, check out Alameda County Public Health Department.

Check out the real time air quality monitoring of San Leandro on the PurpleAir map below or at this link here.