Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) staff distributed 270 air purifiers in the Cuyama Valley on Friday, a one-day event under APCD’s Clean Air Rooms Program.
The school district received 35 air purifiers (one for each classroom and administrative building), and 235 air purifiers were given to residents, the post office, the library, Sheriff’s Department substation, and fire station.
The air purifiers were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, limited to one per household, with proof of address required.
Air purifiers help keep indoor air clean — creating a “clean air room” — when wildfire smoke is affecting air quality, APCD officials said.
APCD partnered with the Cuyama Valley Family Resource Center (CVFRC) to plan for and host the give-away event. APCD also provided free food and information in English and Spanish about resources available to check local air quality and participate in APCD programs.
“We so appreciate APCD’s outstanding work to provide air purifiers for Cuyama Valley residents,” said Lynn Carlisle, executive director of the CVFRC.
“In this low-income community, purchasing an air purifier to create a clean room is not an option for many, including our school district. APCD recognized the need — especially with our history of wildfire — and made this happen. We are proud to have been able to partner with APCD on this amazing event,” Carlisle said.
“This was a great program for Cuyama Valley residents and for the school district, ensuring people can keep their indoor air clean during future wildfires,” said Roy Lee, APCD Board member and county supervisor, whose supervisorial district includes the Cuyama Valley.
“I appreciate the strong partnership of APCD and the Cuyama Valley Family Resource Center to make this program a success,” Lee said.
“On behalf of all APCD staff who worked at the event for Cuyama, it was a wonderful day connecting with the community, giving away air purifiers and also sharing more about what we do,” said Aeron Arlin Genet, APCD’s executive director.
“Cuyama Valley has been deeply affected by wildfire smoke in recent years, and such strong participation means more people can keep their indoor air clean in the future,” Genet said.
The air purifiers purchased for the Cuyama Valley Clean Air Rooms program were paid for, as approved by the APCD Board of Directors earlier this year, using APCD’s Clean Air Fund, which is composed of excess revenues from Notices of Violations.
Friday’s event also acted as APCD’s kickoff to celebrate California Clean Air Day, an annual statewide occasion the first Wednesday of October that recognizes the progress made toward reducing air pollution, and acknowledges continued efforts to keep air quality healthy.
On this year’s Clean Air Day, Wednesday, Oct. 7, APCD is co-hosting a community beach clean-up with the Guadalupe Dunes Center at Rancho Guadalupe Beach.
About Air Purifiers and Clean Air Rooms
Air purifiers can be purchased at local stores or online retailers, and come in various makes and models, suitable for different room sizes. An air purifier for a small bedroom typically costs around $100, according to APCD.
For those considering purchasing an air purifier, here are some features to look for:
- Certified by California Air Resources Board for sale in the State of California: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/list-carb-certified-air-cleaning-devices
- HEPA-rated
- Energy-Star-rated
- A light indicator for filter replacement
- Effective for the size of the room where you intend to use the device
- Quiet operation; approximately 45 decibels or less
APCD has a webpage dedicated to information about setting up a “clean air room,” with bilingual infographics and videos that focus on: How to choose and use an air purifier; how to create a do-it-yourself (DIY) air filtration device that works similarly at a lesser cost; and how to minimize common sources of indoor air pollution during wildfires.
APCD provides many resources on its website for checking and understanding Santa Barbara County air quality conditions.
APCD also provides a rolling 24 hours’ worth of air quality readings for every monitoring station in the county, as well as daily forecasts: www.OurAir.org/todays-air-quality.