MEDFORD, Ore. – Smoke from wildfires is continuing to cause air quality concerns across the region. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said on Friday that air quality in the Rogue Valley reached unhealthy levels.
Air quality is especially important for people with asthma and heart disease as well as pregnant women, young children and the elderly.
“If you already are kind of running at capacity in terms of your lung capability that [poor air quality] can put you over the edge,” Jackson County Health Officer, Dr. Jim Shames says, “it can make it really hard to breathe, [and] put a strain on your heart.”
Doctors say everyone should use caution. Swapping your trail run for an indoor treadmill is an easy way to limit your exposure.
Experts advise that air quality can change day to day and even hour to hour. For the most up to date air quality information visit the DEQ’s air quality index HERE. Visit the Oregon Health Authority for recommendations on public health and wildfire smoke, and if you’d like to subscribe to air quality alerts or EnviroFlash alerts, click HERE.
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