Air quality warnings in US city
22 March 2012 09:08
The number of air alerts issued in San Francisco over winter reached a five-year high
Authorities in San Francisco issued a high number of air quality warnings over winter, according to reports.
At the end of the Winter Spare The Air season, the San Francisco Bay Area Air Quality Management District confirmed that officials had issued the city with 15 alerts, the most alerts issued for half a decade.
Over the winter, weather conditions meant pollution became trapped over the city, leading to nearly 20 days in which the standard of air quality became bad enough for officials to take note.
Pollution in the area is most widely caused by wood smoke, coming from more than a million log-burning fires and stoves in and around the city.
Wood smoke is one of the most dangerous forms of pollutants, containing high levels of life-threatening particulates and carbon monoxide.
The number of alerts is likely to be of concern to tourists visiting the city who already suffer with asthma, and will serve as a reminder to arrange
pre-existing medical travel insurance before making the trip.
San Francisco air quality official Jack Broadbent said: "It was a tough winter for air quality and public health, but things could have been much worse. Wood burning overall is decreasing, but we still see unhealthy levels in certain neighbourhoods."
Copyright Press Association 2012
-
An airline captain's toilet break lasted longer than expected after the cockpit door jammed, leading to an emergency landing.
[more...]
-
The health risks of foreign travel were brought home to dozens of holidaymakers as numbers of people struck down with dengue fever...
[more...]
-
Xbox games are heading for the high seas as Microsoft's games console joins Celebrity Cruises.
[more...]
-
A new infectious disease which has killed 18 people worldwide can be transmitted from human to human but experts in the UK are...
[more...]
-
The UK's second-biggest airport saw traffic rise last month, figures have shown. A total of just over 2.73 million people used...
[more...]
-
A couple from Market Harborough in Leicestershire have paid tribute to a pilot and first officer for unloading their bags at an...
[more...]
-
The French health ministry has confirmed a second case of a deadly new respiratory virus related to Sars. A roommate of a 65-year-old...
[more...]
-
Buying a new holiday wardrobe is making the cost of a summer break a third more expensive for women, research has shown.
[more...]
-
An increasingly popular holiday destination for group tours is the highest point in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, and those who have...
[more...]
-
The number of flights at Heathrow Airport should be increased to provide a short-term solution to the UK's air capacity crisis,...
[more...]
-
A co-pilot and his captain had to wear oxygen masks while landing a plane at Heathrow Airport after they were overcome by a strong...
[more...]
-
Brits need to travel to 25 foreign counties during their lifetime, be fluent in at least two languages and try all types of food...
[more...]