Date
Thursday, August 26, 2021
The Air District is announcing a significant expansion of the Clean Air Filtration Program, which will provide portable air filtration units to unhoused and low-income residents in impacted communities as well as to emergency and cooling centers Bay Area-wide. This is the first program of its kind and will help mitigate the potential health impacts of wildfires, especially for the Bay Area’s most vulnerable residents.
One effort of this overall program, launched earlier this month in partnership with Regional Asthma Management and Prevention, is working to provide portable air filtration units to low-income residents diagnosed with poorly controlled asthma in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties. Now the program will be expanded to Marin, Napa and Solano counties and will provide some 3,000 individuals across the Bay Area with portable indoor home air filtration units.
The expanded program focuses on providing air filtration units to support healthier breathing environments for residents throughout the Bay Area who live in communities heavily impacted by air pollution. Larger filtration units will also be provided to shelters for the unhoused, as well as emergency and cooling centers in these same communities.
Bay Area residents who don’t qualify for the Clean Air Filtration Program can still purchase their own air filtration units for about $100 to $150, and can get tips on wildfire preparation, including how to set up a ‘clean air room’ in their homes, by visiting the Air District's Wildfire Safety web page. Setting up a ‘clean air room’ can provide residents with a living space with filtered air, reduce indoor levels of smoke pollution and help diminish its related health impacts.
Wildfire smoke can have immediate health impacts and trigger wheezing in those who suffer from asthma, emphysema, COPD or other respiratory conditions. During wildfires, air pollution has real and significant health consequences, even for those without pre-existing conditions. Wildfire preparedness tips, school air quality recommendations, information on air quality data and more resources are available at www.baaqmd.gov/wildfiresafety.
Bay Area residents can get more information about the Clean Air Filtration Program by sending an inquiry to: AirFilters@baaqmd.gov.
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Last Updated: 8/25/2021