Ash from wildfires coat Huntington Beach

Jenny Marder

A blizzard of smoke and ash fell like snow over Huntington Beach this

week, muting the sunlight and casting an apocalyptic lull over the

city. The ash was carried by strong Santa Ana winds from the

wildfires that have blazed across Southern California for more than a

week.

Air-quality experts advise Surf City residents, especially those

with lung and heart conditions, to limit their time outdoors, close

windows and turn on fans or air conditioners to keep the air

circulating inside.

“Healthy people should avoid unnecessary outdoor activities --

baseball, basketball, calisthenics and running,” said Anne Stratton,

the city’s emergency medical services coordinator. “If you smell

smoke, it’s probably not the best time to be running.”

Most people can expect eye and lung irritation and lethargy from

invisible airborne particles caused by the wildfires, said Robert

Phalen, director of UC Irvine’s air pollution health effects

laboratory. The heat and dry air can compound these reactions, he

added.

People with respiratory problems and heart disease are more

vulnerable than others.

At the greatest risk are elderly people with heart disease,

followed by children with severe asthma. Also susceptible are heavy

smokers and those with bronchitis or respiratory infections.

“People with severe heart disease, asthma and severe bronchitis --

they should be aware of their symptoms, have their medications handy,

know how to use them, and they should, for sure, alter their

lifestyle patterns so that they spend as much time as possible in a

clean environment,” Phalen said. “It might be a good time for them to

go visit their kids in San Francisco.”

Huntington Beach schools are holding physical education classes

indoors until the smoke and ash clears.

“Monday, because there was fallout, we kept them in all day,”

Ocean View School District Supt. James Tarwater said. “We err on the

side of caution. That’s our key. We’re constantly monitoring, and if

there’s ash, we’re advised to keep them in.”

Many people in Surf City donned face masks this week to limit

their pollution intake.

The five Sav-On drugstores in Huntington Beach sold out of dust

masks by Monday and had to put in a rush order to restock supplies.

“They sold so briskly that they actually sold everything they had

and had to reorder,” Sav-On spokeswoman Karen Ramos said. “Customers

that are buying face masks are buying them by the box now. They’re

buying them for their entire family.”

Phalen likened the face mask to wearing a light jacket rather than

a heavy jacket on a cold day. While the face masks keep large pieces

of ash out, they serve little protection against the more harmful

microscopic particles.

“It helps, but it doesn’t solve the problem,” he said. “It will

only give people partial protection.”

Phalen advises anyone affected by the ash to put an air purifier

in the bedroom and turn it on high with the door closed for a few

hours before bedtime.

“It’s good at cleaning out particulates,” he said. “People who

have had headaches who do this will probably wake up very rested and

feeling very good.”

* JENNY MARDER covers City Hall. She can be reached at (714)

965-7173 or by e-mail at [email protected].