An Oregon electric sweeper will benefit from a federal program designed to reduce the number of polluting vehicles on the road. (Getty Images)
As residents struggle through triple digit temperatures, people in eastern Oregon and the Willamette Valley are facing high smog levels caused in part by the heat.
The Department of Environmental Quality, Lane Regional Air Protection Agency and Southwest Clean Air Agency issued an air quality advisory Monday due to elevated levels of ozone pollution. They said it will affect northern Umatilla County through Monday and last in the Portland-Vancouver area and Willamette Valley through Tuesday – along with the heat wave.
By Monday afternoon, the worst air quality statewide was in Eugene, Silverton, south of Portland and in Hermiston.
Health officials said certain groups are especially susceptible to the health effects of smog, including children, pregnant people, older adults and those with heart disease or respiratory conditions. They recommended that they limit outdoor activity when pollution levels are high.
They also said people should:
Limit driving and instead use public transit or carpool.
Avoid unnecessary engine idling.
Refuel vehicles when it’s cooler in the evening.
Avoid using gas-powered equipment in the yard.
Postpone painting and aerosol spray projects.
Smog forms when hot temperatures and low winds combine with pollution from cars, gas-powered engines and chemicals in paints and aerosols. They react with sunlight and heat, producing ozone and haze.
Pollution increases throughout the day as the sun blazes, and levels are the highest in the afternoon and early evening, when it also tends to be the hottest. That means that an air quality monitor showing clean air in the morning can quickly hit unhealthy levels later in the day.
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