AIRBORNE PARTICLES PACK PUNCH : EXPERTS PROVIDE TIPS TO DEFEND AGAINST HAZARDOUS SMOG IN RIVERSIDE COUNTY.

Byline: Gary Polakovic The Riverside Press-Enterprise

The fuzzy brown sky signals another smoggy day in Riverside County. You want to play it safe, but feel helpless in the face of so much air pollution.

An escape to the beach would work. But if you are stuck in town, there are still some things you can do to reduce your exposure to airborne particles.

Experts say pay attention to your environment. Look at the sky and let your eyes be your guide.

``At the levels we have for particles, it's not going to be like a London fog that kills you, but it's the long-term exposure that's going to shorten your life,'' said Sam Atwood, spokesman for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

``Try to be aware. If you can't see the mountains, and it's not really damp, it's probably particles,'' Atwood said.

If you are outside on hazy days, avoid vigorous exercise, especially over prolonged periods. Adults inhale three times more during moderate exercise, such as climbing stairs or playing tennis, and 10 times more during spurts of heavy exercise, including running, than at rest.

Also, exertion involves mouth breathing, allowing particles to bypass filters in the nose and deposit directly into the respiratory tract.

Stay upwind of pollution sources, including pesticide spraying, tilled fields, dirt roads, graded lots, busy intersections and highways. On the road, keep car windows up and air conditioning on.

Wear a filter mask when doing outside chores that kick up dust. The masks can keep out most larger particles and some as small as 3 microns, though they will not keep out the tiniest particles, said Melvin D. Zeldin, particle smog coordinator for the South Coast district.

Or, better yet, go indoors. About one-third of the inhalable particles, mostly specks of dust, pulverized road grit and pollen, do not penetrate indoors, studies show.

Once inside, reduce indoor pollution sources. Cook in a well-ventilated kitchen. Snuff incense and candles, which can quickly fill a room with invisible smoke. Avoid long stays in smoky buildings, including casinos, bars or bowling alleys.

Install high-efficiency filters, called HEPA filters, on your heater or air conditioner. They remove 99 percent of all particles down to one-third of a micron. Table-top air purifiers utilizing the same filters are available in home improvement stores for about $200.

Remember, particles behave differently from ozone, another air pollutant abundant in California's inland valleys. Particle concentrations sometimes peak in early morning when air is stagnant, unlike ozone, which flourishes in afternoon sunshine.

Also, particle smog can be worst in western Riverside County in autumn, after summer ozone clears out. Last year, the highest fine particle reading in Riverside occurred Oct. 19 and was 46 percent above the federal daily limit. In the Coachella Valley, particles are most abundant during windy spring days.

For the latest information on air pollution conditions or desert wind events, call the South Coast district at [phone] (have your ZIP code ready).

Finally, stay fit. Healthy lungs work better and are more resistant to disease. Regular exercise and avoiding cigarette smoke will go a long way toward keeping you safe, said Robert F. Phalen, director of the Air Pollution Health Effects Laboratory at the University of California, Irvine.