Your backyard bonfire could put those with COVID-19 at risk
MARYSVILLE — Even with far fewer cars on the road, a state “stay home, stay healthy” order hasn’t knocked out air pollution in the Puget Sound area.
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency reports there was about 30% less pollution from emissions on roads in March — but levels of particulate matter in the air, or smoke, are roughly twice the average for this time of year.
Air quality scientists say increased residential burning, like backyard bonfires and yard debris burn piles, is partially to blame for the spike.
According to an air quality monitor in Marysville on the corner of Seventh Street and Quinn Avenue, particulate matter in the air throughout April was about 50% higher than historic levels.
The spike has caught the eye of some Snohomish County officials, who expressed concern about a potential link between air pollution and increased risk of death from COVID-19.
A recent Harvard report analyzed data from 3,080 counties in the United States and found that long-term exposure to higher levels of PM 2.5, a kind of particulate matter in the air, are associated with increased death rates from COVID-19.
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