As Wildfire Smoke Eases, South End and Central District Express Future Pollution Concerns

On Aug. 6, wildfire smoke covered the Seattle area for the third day. Around 1 p.m. that day in the Central District, air quality ranked at 142, considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. Farther south, South Park ranked at 151, considered unhealthy for everyone. 

On the north side, air quality was slightly better at 131, but still hazardous to sensitive groups. 

After days of smoke from wildfires in Eastern Washington and British Columbia, some Central District and South End residents expressed concern about the health effects on a population already prone to air pollution. 

Air conditions are expected to gradually return to normal next week, as incoming wind pushes smoke east, according to the National Weather Service. Organizers with the Duwamish River Festival will be monitoring the weather ahead of the Aug. 8 festival, to be held at People's Park. 

"We are thinking about how we keep our community safe with masks, or if it gets bad enough, canceling the festival in order to protect them," said Mia Ayala-Marshall, Duwamish Valley Clean Air Program manager. 

The Clean Air Program, part of the Duwamish River Community Coalition (DRCC), focuses on programming and education on air pollution and reduction.

Residents of the Duwamish Valley already face many air pollution hazards, from surrounding industrial sites to major highways and airports. South Park, Beacon Hill, and Georgetown had some of the most severe air pollution in King County, next to Eastlake, as well as the highest rates of childhood asthma hospitalizations (along with Mount Baker and University District), according to a 2014 study. 

"There's already these cumulative exposures even before the wildfires," DRCC Health Equity Manager Joseph Santana said. 

From past wildfire seasons, Micaiah Jeffrey in the Central District has learned how to limit his exposure to smoke to avoid triggering his asthma. During days when the air quality is unhealthy, Jeffrey will try to avoid outdoor activities and wear a mask when he goes outside. 

"The first time the air was really bad, I remember just not really caring," Jeffrey said. "I was just like, 'Oh, I'm going to school and just gonna pretend everything's okay.' And then I realized it actually really did affect me and my asthma."

The upcoming festival celebrates community and the future of the Duwamish Valley. With wildfires affecting Indigenous lands across the Pacific Northwest, Ayala-Marshall said Indigenous communities are usually always hit "first and worst" by the climate crisis. 

"Indigenous communities have always, always been the ones to be pushed out of their lands first to continue to suffer in the type of capitalist society, extractive society that we live in," Ayala-Marshall said. "And now they're also bearing the brunt of our extractive society."

To check the air quality where you live, check out the Washington Air Quality Map.