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As more than a hundred giant active wildfires burn in the western United States, 25 of which have evacuation orders in place, millions of people are facing smoke and air quality alerts. According to AirNow, an association of governments, tribes, states, and local agencies responsible for air quality and the environment, air quality in spaces along the West Coast and interior, as well as in South Dakota, levels from “unhealthy” to “hazardous” according to the Air Quality Index (AQI).
“At this point, we want to identify a minimum of caution,” says Harry Kopolovich, M. D. , an emergency physician and regional chair of emergency medicine for the Southern Division of Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey. “A lot of fitness entities are starting to propose a resurgence of N95 masks, and I think that’s probably not a bad idea, especially if your career involves prolonged exposure. “
Continue reading to learn more about air quality and expert recommendations for staying in potentially harmful air conditions.
In the United States, air quality is measured by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) using an Air Quality Index (AQI), which evaluates air quality on a scale from 0 to 500. For air quality air of a place, the index takes into account five primary pollutants, each of which has a national air quality standard designated by the EPA:
The higher a location’s number on the AQI, the more harmful the air quality will be. Air quality grades are assigned according to the following color code:
Air quality can have a direct effect on the user’s health. Wildfire smoke-filled air can include, in particular, a combination of gases and waste from burning debris, which can make the user breathing infected air sick. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), other side effects of breathing smoke-filled air include:
“Imagine breathing through a dirty filter: that’s what we do without a mask,” adds Dr. Kopolovich. “This puts increased stress on the pulmonary and circulatory systems, and we need to make it as simple as possible for those systems to keep us alive. “
People with respiratory diseases such as asthma can suffer asthma attacks if they breathe smoky air. Pregnant people, the elderly, children, and others with lung and cardiovascular diseases may also be more likely to get sick.
“My biggest fear would be for other people who already have a lung or a pre-existing lung disease,” he adds. “Historically, we have focused on other people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or pulmonary fibrosis. The unknown entity we would possibly have to deal with here is other people who, as a result, have long COVID and chronic fibrotic adjustments.
Air pollutants are linked to negative health effects, adding long-term exposure to higher levels of pollutants, according to Rebecca Saari, an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
“For short-term air quality episodes, such as existing conditions, the evidence supports increased dangers of multiple consequences, adding premature death, days of respiratory symptoms, and hospitalization,” he says.
Consider the pro tips below to protect yourself in hazardous air quality conditions.
Since air quality situations can vary daily, it’s more productive to check your domain data in the morning and plan your day accordingly, Saari says. Depending on the AQI, you may want to restrict your exposure to air and stay in cleaner indoor environments, he adds.
For the general population, it’s especially vital to engage in intense physical exercise outdoors, Saari says.
“As ambient temperatures continue to rise, we need others to be aware that exertion in hot climates, i. e. , when air quality is poor, can have disastrous consequences,” Dr. Kopolovich echoes.
For now, stick to indoor workout features and enlist a little help in a fitness app.
“A well-fitting N95 mask can remove more than 95% of fine particles, so it may be an option to reduce exposure to wildfire smoke when outdoors,” Saari says. “However, wildfires also produce destructive polluting gases, and these masks do not eliminate them. ” Therefore, continue to restrict your exposure on days when air quality is harmful and only go outdoors when necessary.
“If you’ll have to be outdoors, don’t do strenuous activities and wear an N95 mask regardless of your underlying physical condition,” repeats Dr. Sean Devine, head of the pulmonary medicine department at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania.
“Be sure to remove clothing you wear outdoors in a separate area of your home, as that [debris] will remain on your skin, hair, and clothing,” says Dr. Kopolovich. “People who spend extended periods of time outdoors painting deserve to wash those items separately from the rest of their family clothing. » It is also recommended to remove your shoes at the door to avoid leaving debris in your home and take a bath or shower soon after arriving home to remove debris from your hair and skin.
Check your air conditioner filters and leave them blank or update them regularly. Dr. Kopolovich and Saari proposed HEPA filters, designed to capture even very small debris and dust, when possible. Also check the batteries in your carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are working properly.
“The key to indoor air quality is filtration with filters with a minimum MERV score (indicating a filter’s ability to capture larger particles) of 8, keeping windows closed and turning off mechanical ventilation if possible,” Dr. Devine adds.
Dr. Kopolovich also supports the use of air purification facilities. “They can be nature’s own filter,” he says. However, Saari warns against relying solely on this technique to purify the air at home.
Additionally, avoid using aerosol products in your home and limit the use of enthusiasts and vacuum cleaners that lack a physically powerful cleaning system, as they will end up generating additional particles, says Dr. Kopolovich.
“If you’ve ever wanted an explanation for why you quit, now is the time,” Dr. Kopolovich says. “We know that just one cigarette a day alters the cilia (the small hairs we have in the lungs and airways) that we want to eliminate the waste we breathe. So if you’ve ever quit smoking, now is the time to do so to prevent more waste from accumulating in your lungs.
Dr. Devine reiterates the importance of quitting smoking for lung health.
People with underlying conditions like asthma or COPD want to have a plan of action, Dr. Kopolovich insists. “Know your body, know your environment and know your resources,” he says. “If you take your albuterol treatments every 3 or 4 hours while this situation lasts, you deserve not to be at home. Be sure to see your GP or emergency department for proper and appropriate treatment.
For those who rely on supplemental oxygen treatment at home, check that they have all the necessary materials, adding their oxygen concentrator, pulse oximeter, extra nasal cannulas, and an extra oxygen cartridge in case of emergency, to face this wave of poverty. Safe air quality. It’s never too early to call your healthcare provider for further help in those circumstances.
Jessica Lester, editor-in-chief of Forbes Health, contributed to this report.
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