Please take precautions in current air quality conditions

Kittitas County, WA –02/15/2017 – Kittitas County is experiencing “unhealthy” air quality due to stagnant weather conditions. The range of air quality categories include good, moderate, unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy, very unhealthy, and hazardous.

During conditions of unhealthy to hazardous air quality, the Kittitas County Public Health Department encourages everyone living in Kittitas County to:

  • Limit outdoor activity, staying indoors if possible,
  • Avoid outdoor physical activity,
  • Keep doors and windows closed in buildings and cars,
  • Set heating devices to “recycle” or “recirculate,”
  • Consider spending time or re-locating temporarily to a location with better air quality if you are experiencing negative symptoms related to the air quality.  Adverse symptoms may include dizziness, headache, difficulty breathing, coughing, excessive phlegm, and nausea.  Please contact your health care provider if you experience any of these symptoms.

This recommendation applies to everyone when the air quality is in the unhealthy, very unhealthy, or hazardous range, but it is especially important for sensitive groups which include:

  • People with pre-existing lung or heart conditions such as asthma or emphysema, diabetes, or other respiratory infections;
  • People who have had a stroke;
  • Infants, children, and adults older than 65; and
  • Pregnant women.

The Kittitas County Health Officer recommends that children and other sensitive populations be kept indoors and should avoid heavy physical activity outdoors anytime the air quality is “unhealthy for sensitive populations” or worse.

Kittitas County residents, schools, child cares, and sports organizers are encouraged to check the current air quality status on the Washington State Department of Ecology air monitoring site.

A stage 1 burn ban was issued on Tuesday by Washington State Department of Ecology and is in effect until noon on Friday, which means Kittitas County will continue to experience declining air quality conditions until the burn ban is lifted.  Residents are encouraged to visit waburnbans.net to find current information on burn bans.

KCPHD will inform Kittitas County residents of future air quality issues.  For more information about health concerns relating to air quality or informational resources, please contact KCPHD at (509)-962-7515.