A Spare the Air alert has been issued for the Bay Area for Wednesday because of a mix of smog and wildfire smoke expected in the region, air quality officials said.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued the alert, the fifth for smog this year, and is encouraging people to carpool, take public transit or work from home to avoid contributing to the bad air quality.
"Air quality in our region is being threatened for two reasons -- smoke from wildfires and smog from cars on our roadways," air district executive officer Jack Broadbent said in a statement.
Excessive pollution of smog, or ozone, can cause throat irritation, congestion, trigger asthma, worsen bronchitis and emphysema, or cause other health issues, according to the air district.
People are advised to only exercise outdoors in the early morning hours when smog levels are lower.
People can find out when a Spare the Air alert is in effect by registering for email alerts at www.sparetheair.org, calling (800) HELP-AIR, downloading the Spare the Air smartphone app or connecting with Spare the Air on social media.
