Health
September Dust Pollution Hits New High In Five Years
“It’s in your teeth. It’s in your ears. It’s in everything,” Ray Vega said.
“You got hot, you got humid, you got dust,” Sue Derrico shared.
“I wear a mask when I walk to keep the sand out,” Mark Fornwall explained. “Otherwise, your teeth get dirty.”
Those are just a few of the words to describe what living in the desert has been like over the past month.
In part, thanks to what Tropical Storm Hilary left behind: lots of sand and piles of unattended mud.
“We get up in the morning and go outside and on the back patio, you used to be able to see both mountains. Facing north, looking west and east, can’t see anything anymore,” Vega continued.
“A couple of my relatives that are here are kind of acting like they have a cold and they don’t have a cold so probably allergy symptoms,” Derrico said. “Definitely my mom, she gets sneezing fits and coughing. There’s just a layer of dust all over her patio. It is crazy.”
During the desert summer months, there’s usually more dust and sand in the air.
But according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, this month has been a little worse than years past.
“We do see in the data that particle pollution levels have been higher this September than past September’s over the past five years or so,” South Coast AQMD Air Quality Assessment Program Manager Scott Epstein said.
Epstein says it’s still too early to fully blame the poor air quality on the storm.
But the piles of mud and sand that are still found around the desert are only adding to the dust lingering in the sky.
“Soils that are kind of moved around by say construction, or potentially rainfall and flooding, are more erodible from the winds,” Epstein continued. “You can get disturbed soils into the air at much lower wind speeds.”
There are ways to stay healthy even in this poor air quality.
“If the air quality is unhealthy, especially if you’re in those sensitive groups, you want to minimize the amount of poor air quality that you breathe in,” Epstein explained. “So remain inside with your windows and doors closed, if you can, run your AC or an air purifier and then if it’s possible, you want to avoid things that bring outside air inside like a swamp cooler or whole house fan.”
The weather has been cooling which means a lot more outdoor activities so it’s important to check what the air quality is before heading out because it can impact your overall health.
For current air quality levels, click here.
By: Carmela Karcher
September 20, 2023
Latest Instagram Posts
⚡️ TOP STORY: A man is recovering after he was struck by lightning. Firefighters battled a brush fire along Snow Creek Road, while another lightning strike in Chino Canyon sent a man to the hospital. If you hear thunder, stay indoors for at least 30 minutes after the last rumble. #PalmSprings #Lightning #FireSafety
🚨 Chasing that year-round “summer glow”? A social media tanning trend involving the unapproved peptide melanotan-2 is raising serious safety concerns. Dermatologists say safer sunless tanning options are available. ☀️ #YourHealthToday #SkinHealth #Melanotan2 #TanningSafety
Palm Springs firefighters responded Thursday to a report of a person struck by lightning in the Chino Canyon area. The person was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. Firefighters also responded to a palm tree fire in Chino Canyon that officials say was caused by an apparent lightning strike. NBC Palm Springs News Director David Reese is in the neighborhood tonight knocking on doors and trying to learn more about what happened. Did you see the lightning strike? Did you hear or see anything unusual? Do you know who was struck or have information that could help us understand what happened? We’d like to hear from you. Send us a DM here or contact NBC Palm Springs if you witnessed the incident or have information to share. #PalmSprings #ChinoCanyon #Lightning #PalmSpringsNews #NBCPalmSprings CoachellaValley BreakingNews
Fred Roggin’s response? Show us the receipts! #therogginreport #coachellavalley #localnews #explore #nbcpalmsprings
A $557k budget shortfall … so why do they need $11.3 million in new taxes? Are you voting Yes or No on Measure P? #therogginreport #measurep #localnews #coachellavalley #nbcpalmsprings
School board trustee wears “FAFO” shirt to court deposition. Drop your thoughts in the comments 👇🏽 #therogginreport #coachellavalley #localnews #explore #nbcpalmsprings
Estevan Figueroa of King’s Club Barbershop is giving back across the Coachella Valley — one haircut at a time. He and his team recently gave dozens of free haircuts to kids at the Boys and Girls Club in Cathedral City. Figueroa also provides clothing, essentials and encouragement to people in need. Inspired by lessons from his father, he’s now started a nonprofit to help even more people in the community. “Look good, feel good.” @barbercipactli Read the full story at NBCPalmSprings.com.
9 months. 5 deposition notices. 1 no-show. What is this official hiding under oath? Let us know what you think in the comments 👇 #therogginreport #jesusgonzalez #localnews #coachellavalley #nbcpalmsprings
Social Time with Thalia & Jerry
Tim O’Brien at the Coachella Valley Firebirds training camp!!