All 64 Colorado counties under Air Quality Alert

Colorado health officials put all 64 counties under an air quality alert on Thursday as wildfire smoke from outside the state spread across the state. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said warming temperatures, abundant sunshine and wildfire smoke were expected to push up both ozone and fine-particle pollution. A cold front helped drive smoke into Colorado from fires in Utah and the Pacific Northwest, according to the state advisory and reports carried Thursday. ### Where is the smoke over Colorado coming from? The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said the smoke was drifting in from out-of-state fires, with a cold front pushing smoke from Utah and the Pacific Northwest into Colorado. The statewide alert covered all 64 counties, according to the Yahoo report citing the state agency. National Weather Service advisory pages for Colorado forecast offices showed air quality health advisories for wildfire smoke in effect across broad sections of the state through Thursday morning, including counties on both the Front Range and Western Slope. (yahoo.com) ### What exactly does the alert warn about? The state health department said the combination of smoke, heat and sunshine was expected to elevate ozone and fine particulates. (yahoo.com) On its air-quality advisories page, the department says such alerts are issued when air quality is already a public health concern or is expected to worsen later in the day or the following day. Colorado’s wildfire-smoke health page says smoke conditions can change quickly and advises residents to check current air quality and monitor wildfire and smoke conditions in their area. (forecast.weather.gov) The department also points people to fire and smoke monitoring tools and local forecasts because wildfire behavior is difficult to predict. ### How serious is the health risk from this smoke? CBS Colorado reported on August 5 that wildfire-smoke exposure in Colorado “can be equivalent to smoking about 7 cigarettes” under some conditions, citing research and comments from a health professional at Metropolitan State University of Denver. (yahoo.com) The station said the risk is greater than many residents may assume when conditions appear only hazy. (cdphe.colorado.gov) The University of Colorado Boulder said in a June 30 update that federal data had recently rated air quality in parts of Colorado as “poor” and “unhealthy for sensitive groups” during smoke episodes. CU Boulder said research has increasingly linked wildfire-smoke exposure to respiratory harm and other health effects. ### Who should be most careful outdoors? CBS Colorado reported that state guidance emphasizes limiting outdoor activity when smoky conditions are present, especially for children, older adults and people with heart or lung disease. (cbsnews.com) The station also said residents were advised to keep windows and doors closed when smoke and air-quality readings are high. Colorado’s health department says residents should check local conditions before spending time outside because smoke concentrations can vary by location and change rapidly. (colorado.edu) ### Where can people track conditions in real time? The Coloradoan’s wildfire and smoke map says it is updated hourly using data from several incident and intelligence sources. The tracker compiles wildfire, smoke and red-flag warning information for Colorado and the broader United States. (cbsnews.com) As of Thursday, the statewide alert remained the central public warning, and the next practical step for residents was to keep checking county-level air conditions and updated smoke maps as conditions shifted through the day. (cdphe.colorado.gov) (yahoo.com) (data.coloradoan.com)