Smoke may cause health problems

The Daily Inter Lake

Smoke particles in the Flathead Valley's air became dense enough Wednesday to be potentially hazardous to people with heart and lung problems, as well as to small children and the elderly.

Forest fires are burning to the west, east and southeast of the Flathead. Although no fire is within 29 miles of the valley, plenty of smoke from the fires is drifting into the local air.

If visibility is six miles or greater, then the air is considered in good shape.

However, visibility in Kalispell and Whitefish on Wednesday was in the three- to five-mile range, which indicated that it could be unhealthy for people in sensitive groups, said Wendee Jacobs, a sanitarian with the Flathead City-County Health Department. Sensitive groups include small children, the elderly and people with lung and heart problems.

Such people should avoid strenuous exercising outdoors.

There are also increasing degrees of alerts for unhealthy air when visibility drops to 1.5 to 2.5 miles, to 0.9 to 1.4 mile, and to less than 0.8 mile.

People can get updated on air quality in the Flathead by calling a health department hotline at 751-8144.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality also tracks air quality statewide on its Web site, www.deq.mt.gov/FireUpdates/index.asp.