Wildfire Smoke Health Advisory

November 9, 2018

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Dear Campus Community,

The smoke from fires in Northern California has caused our local air quality to worsen, and the effect is likely to last into the evening and tomorrow.  Currently, the Air Quality Index (AQI) for Berkeley is 153 which is in the "unhealthy” category; this means that everyone may feel some health effects and members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) advises that people in sensitive groups, including people with lung or heart disease, children, and older adults, should avoid prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion.  Everyone else should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.

Those impacted by wildfire smoke are advised to:

  • Limit outdoor activities to avoid unnecessary exposure if you smell smoke. 
  • Set air conditioning units and car vent systems to re-circulate to prevent outside air from moving inside.
  • Reduce exposure to smoky air by remaining indoors with windows and doors closed, if possible.

We encourage everyone to monitor the current and forecasted AQI at airnow.gov and consult the information provided by UHS.

Thank you,
Anna Harte, MD
Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor
University Health Services

If you are a manager who supervises UC Berkeley employees without email access, please circulate this information to all.

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