The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) says the haze is caused by smoke drifting south from wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and Canada.
The air quality index (AQI) for the valley is currently moderate, and CDPHE hasn’t yet issued any advisories for Pitkin or Garfield counties. Moderate AQI is anywhere from 50 to 100, and 100 to 150 is “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”
Nearby counties like Mesa, Routt, and Moffat counties have all been issued advisories, as well as Denver and other Front Range cities.
“The state is not thinking that this is going to be a severe event for our valley,” said Brian Daugherty, an Environmental Health Specialist for Pitkin County.
Jannette Whitcomb is the Environmental Health Manager for Garfield County.
Whitcomb has been in the valley for over 20 years, and said the region really started seeing wildfire smoke from other parts of the country in 2017. She said it’s been a regular part of summers, since then.
“Basically with the impacts of drought, we can see wildfire smoke in other areas,” she said. “And they were definitely predicting, because of the droughts, we could see some smoke from Canada.”
She said even if there’s no health advisories issued yet, people should still be careful when they head outside for physical activity.
“Especially with the high heat we’re having: so high heat and smoke together can really impact even the healthiest people without an advisory,” she said. “So just being really mindful of staying hydrated.”
Daugherty added that due to the upper valley’s milder climate, many people don’t have air conditioning, which can make keeping cool and filtering air more difficult.
He also said if visibility gets worse, that’s a sign of poor air quality, and a warning to take it easy, or stay indoors. A mile and a half is that threshold, Daugherty said.
“If you can't see something at that distance, that's likely to (indicate) air quality above that 151 level, which puts you into that unhealthy (zone),” he said.
People should be mindful when heading outside to exercise, and pay attention to symptoms like dehydration, tightness in your chest, and watering eyes. Those with respiratory conditions like asthma should have their rescue breathing devices on hand.
Whitcomb said weather forecasters are predicting rain in the region on Friday, which should help the smoke dissipate.
For updates on air quality, you can go to AirNow.gov, or check each county’s air quality monitoring websites.
