How dangerous is the air pollution from the Canadian wildfires? How can people protect themselves?
Khalil Savary, a pediatric pulmonologist at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Robert Laumbach, an air-quality expert from the Rutgers School of Public Health and Anthony J. Broccoli, an atmospheric scientist at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, have answers.
The following quotes from Savary, Laumbach and Broccoli are available to media covering the issue.
Tips from Savary on reducing exposure:
- Close your windows and prevent external air from entering the house through vents and exhausts. If there is a period of improved air quality, open your windows to help clear particles which entered.
- Try and circulate air inside with fans or air conditioning that does not draw air from outside or draws outside air through a HEPA filter.
- Reduce indoor air quality hazards. Avoid smoking, non-electric stoves/ furnaces, spray aerosol products, and vacuuming without a HEPA filter.
- If you must go outside, wear a fitted n95. Surgical masks, cloth masks, and ill-fitting n95 masks are not effective protective equipment.
- Reduce activity outdoors.
- When in a car, keep vents and windows closed; use the recirculate feature.
Quotes from Laumbach:
Due to the smoke from wildfires in Canada, particle air pollution in NJ and across the region has reached levels not seen in many years.
Particle pollution can worsen asthma and other lung and heart conditions, and everyone is at risk of adverse health effects at the current "Unhealthy" Air Quality Index (AQI) particle pollution levels.
To reduce exposure and risk, people can follow the AQI on EPA's AirNow.gov, minimize time spent outdoors, reduce outdoor physical activity levels, use portable air cleaners, and may consider the use of N95 respirators or equivalent face masks if outdoor activity is unavoidable.
Due to climate change, episodes of wildfire smoke air pollution are likely to continue to increase in frequency, and people should be prepared to take action to reduce risk for themselves and their families.
Quotes from Broccoli:
This unusual situation results from a combination of wildfires in eastern Canada and a persistent weather pattern bringing the smoke from those fires south across our area. There's another wave of heavier smoke that is just moving into northwestern New Jersey now and spreading south, southeastward. I expect that things in much of New Jersey will get worse before they get better.
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