Air Quality Even when the air appears clearer and doesn’t hold a strong smoke odor, it may not be healthy. Check air quality (AQ) status in your area at EPA Air Now and Purple Air. This latter site is a crowdsourced project, part of the “internet of things” but not as snoopy as Ring doorcams . People purchase Purple Air sensors to set up at home and connect to the maps. The Purple Air sensors don’t adhere to the rigorous standards of the EPA sensors, however they are more abundant and offer detail for specific locales. For example, I live where the valley and foothills meet and closer to the foothills the AQ is worse than a few miles out into the valley. The one EPA sensor doesn’t precisely report locales a couple miles apart.
My area has far more of the Purple Air than the EPA sensors. Right now on Saturday as I write, both sites show the AQ near me as 596-601 and the map’s legend says “Values above 500 are considered Beyond the Air Quality Index .” So we’re off the charts here. The Weight of Numbers: Air Pollution and PM2.5 explains the index and why certain filters and mask types are helpful.
Fine particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or smaller is more frequently associated with burning things — whether it’s coal in a power plant or gasoline in your car. And at that diminutive size, it can get deep into the lungs and bloodstream, and over time, research suggests, it can ravage the body.
EPA Air Quality index
masks In pre-pandemic times, local governments readily distributed N95 masks during wildfires because these are the best at filtering smoke. Surgical and cotton masks used for COVID-19 protection are much less useful for wildfire smoke but can be modified to offer protection from the biggest health threat — fine particulates. Since N95 masks aren’t being handed out like the olden days, it’s up to us to modify our masks so they filter fine particulate matter, PM2.5.
The smallest particles — known as PM 2.5 — are especially concerning, since the body can’t filter them out.
“The 2.5 will just cruise past everything in your nose,” said Amy MacPherson, a public information officer for the California Air Resources Board. These particles can get lodged in people’s lungs, she explained, “and if they’re even smaller than that they can get into your bloodstream.” Health effects include an increased chance of cardiac arrhythmias, asthma attacks, and heart attacks .
PM2.5 filters on right; polypropylene filters on left.
Separate PM2.5 filters can be added to your cloth mask, or held between two surgical masks but their usefulness in blocking the particles depends on the masks fitting tightly. Even with an N95 mask, for the most protection you must ensure the mask fits closely against your face so outside air doesn’t enter along the edges.
As I described in a previous story All the best mask advice from experts here are the options on Etsy (Amazon and other vendors also sell them).
air cleaners Air cleaners will improve indoor air quality and these, too, can be made at home or purchased. These machines work best when sized to the room they’re in. You want one with a HEPA filter and a CADR (clean air delivery rate in cubic feet per minute) suited to the room’s cubic area (width X length X height). A 100 ft2 room with an 8 foot ceiling needs a minimum CADR of 65. For a 300 ft2 room with an 8 ft ceiling you need a minimum CADR of 195.
The EPA has a general guide for these machines, not specific to wildfire smoke, and a table of minimum CADR for different room sizes. The guide also explains furnace and HVAC system filters.
To filter particles, choose a portable air cleaner that has a clean air delivery rate (CADR) that is large enough for the size of the room or area in which you will use it. The higher the CADR, the more particles the air cleaner can filter and the larger the area it can serve. Most air cleaner packaging will tell you the largest size area or room it should be used in. Portable air cleaners often achieve a high CADR by using a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter.
To filter gases, choose a portable air cleaner with an activated carbon filter or other filter designed to remove gases. Note that there are no widely used performance rating systems for portable air cleaners or filters designed to remove gases. The CADR rating system is for particles only.
Activated carbon filters can be effective, provided that there is a large amount of material used in the filter. A portable air cleaner with a high CADR and an activated carbon filter can filter both particles and gases.
Generally speaking, higher fan speeds and longer run times will increase the amount of air filtered.An air cleaner will filter less air if it is set at a lower speed. More air will pass through the filter at higher fan speeds, so typically filtration will be greater at higher fan speeds. Increasing the amount of time an air cleaner runs will also increase air filtration.
A USA Today article on air cleaners for wildfire smoke recommends the Winix 5500-2 ($159 at Amazon) . That’s the air cleaner I purchased in August 2018 during the Mendocino Complex and Carr fires smokeout but it burned up in the Camp Fire a few months later. The day after the Camp Fire, I bought the Conway AP-1512HH Mighty ($174 at Amazon ) and it’s purring in the room as I write today. This guide discusses different models (different prices) of Conways and other air cleaners.
Another, cheaper option for air cleaner is to DIY using a box fan, merv 13 furnace filter, and a bungee cord or duct tape. The New York Times Wirecutter made and tested one.
I tested a popular claim: that sticking a furnace/HVAC filter on a standard box fan produces a useful DIY air purifier. I taped a 20-by-20-inch Honeywell FPR 9 filter to a Lasko 20-inch box fan and ran that combo through our standard 35-minute, five-match test in our 200-square-foot New York test space, with the fan on high. And you know what? It did okay, cutting the initial particulate load by 87 percent over 35 minutes on medium. That’s nothing like the 99 percent reductions our picks achieved on their high settings, and it didn’t reduce particulates as quickly, but the results were better than one might expect.
Some caveats apply: I was careful to seal the filter around its entire perimeter with clear pro-strength packing tape—any gap would have let unfiltered air pass through, same as on dedicated air purifiers. You should do the same if you try this hack. And no box fan is engineered to withstand the extra workload of driving air through a dense filter, so we can’t claim this won’t damage the fan’s motor, and we wouldn’t consider it a long-term solution for air-quality issues. But if you have an air-quality emergency on your hands—regional wildfires, or your charred dinner under the broiler—and you have a box fan, tape, the right sort of filter, and no time to get an air purifier, it’s worth a shot.
This video shows you how to make a filter from a box fan (cost now is about $25-50, more depending on the fan’s price).
Don’t forget to change the filters in your HVAC system.
Clearing ash off cars, plants, patios Ash and other wildfire debris comprises burned organic material and often inorganic material from buildings, vehicles, and their contents. Because it can be toxic and cause serious health problems, use proper handling methods when clearing ash deposits outside. The first measure listed below isn’t easy to follow now, although N95 respirators may be more easily obtained than non-respiratory masks due to the respirator variety not safe for covid (exhalations through the valve can spread the virus). During the smokey period, cover pet foot and water outside to limit ash settling in the dishes.
Wear a close-fitting respirator that is rated N-95 or P-100 to prevent ash from being inhaled. Bandanas, surgical or cloth masks do not effectively block fine particles.
Wear protective gloves, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks and shoes to avoid skin contact with ash.
NEVER use a leaf blower as it will only spread the ash and blow it back into the air.The use of shop vacuums, common vacuum cleaners and other non-HEPA filter vacuums is not recommended. They blow small particles into the air where they may be inhaled. HEPA filter vacuums could be used, if available.
Remove shoes before entering your home or use "sticky mats" in entryways and doors to remove dust and ash from your shoes. Sticky mats are sold at hardware stores.
Gently sweeping indoor and outdoor hard surfaces, followed by a wet mopping is usually the best procedure. Use a damp cloth on areas with light ash dust.
If you do get ash on your skin, wash it off as soon as possible.
Do not let children play in ash and wash off toys before children play with them.
Keep pets out of ash areas. Either clean ash off pets with a damp cloth or give them a full bath, depending on how dirty they are.
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