Smoke Ready Week 2020

Smoke and COVID-19: Creating a Cleaner Indoor Air Space

N95 respirators and public clean air shelters are usually recommended for protection from wildfire smoke. However, N95 masks might be hard to find during the COVID-19 pandemic, cloth face coverings offer little protection against wildfire smoke, and social distancing guidelines may limit capacity at public facilities operating as clean air shelters. Creating a clean air space within your home is the best way to protect yourself from wildfire smoke during the pandemic. If you are close to an active wildfire, always be prepared to evacuate if told to do so.

Outdoor smoke can enter your home through open windows, vents, air conditioning systems, and through small openings like cracks, joints, and around windows.  Here are some ways to have the cleanest indoor air possible when there is smoke in your area:

                                    

• Keep doors and windows closed but pay attention to temperature forecasts and stay safe in the heat.  Use air conditioners, heat pumps, fans, and window shades to keep your space cool.
• If possible, change your ventilation system to re-circulate indoor air so that it does not bring in smoke.
• Make sure your HVAC filter is clean and installed properly.
• Upgrade your HVAC filter to a high MERV rated filter and run the fan as often as possible (click here to read about MERV rating and filters).
• Consider purchasing a portable air cleaner. Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has more information about portable air cleaners. You may also consider making one yourself (check out this video by the Washington Department of Ecology. It’s also available in Spanish.).

For more information about cleaner air shelters, read through this advice from the CDC. Check with your local leaders about their plans to provide cleaner air shelters and reduce the risk of transmitting the virus that causes COVID-19.

Come back tomorrow and we’ll talk about more actions you can take to prepare yourself for wildfire season.

Smoke Ready Week 2020

Wildfire Smoke and Your Health

It’s Smoke Ready Week. Time to prepare yourself for the smoke and wildfire season that is hot on our heels!

Yesterday, we posted about what is in wildfire smoke and one of those pollutants is particulate matter. Particulate matter can cause a lot of problems such as:

• Increased risk of hospital admissions and premature death in those with existing heart and lung diseases –asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart disease, or ischemic heart disease. Older people are especially susceptible.
• Increased susceptibility to respiratory infections, likely including COVID-19.
• Aggravation of existing respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic bronchitis.
• Lung irritation and inflammation, causing coughing and shortness of breath, especially for people with existing lung disease and children (whose lungs are still developing).

Come back tomorrow to learn about how you can create cleaner indoor air quality for yourself!

Smoke Ready Week 2020

What’s in wildfire smoke?

Smoke contains numerous pollutants that are harmful to your health including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM).  These two types of pollutant are the two most likely to affect your health. VOCs are chemical compounds that are gases at room temperature. They make your eyes sting and water and cause you general discomfort.

Particulate matter (PM) on the other hand is so small it can bypass your body’s defense system and travel to your lungs where it can easily pass into the bloodstream. Once it’s in your bloodstream it can cause all sorts of health problems.  Tomorrow we’ll discuss what smoke can do to smoke sensitive individuals.

Smoke Ready Week 2020

Stay Informed about Air Quality

An easily accessible way to understand air quality is to use the AQI. AQI stands for Air Quality Index. It’s a simple way to communicate air quality and how it might affect your health. For a more detailed explanation of AQI and how it correlates to pollutant levels, read this and this.

An AQI value of 100 is the threshold where air quality crosses over from “moderate” to “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” Check out the image below to see what the values are, who needs to be concerned at each level, and what they should do.

EPA AQI Categories

 

There are lots of resources available to help you find out if there are nearby wildfires and if the air quality in your area is deteriorated. Here’s a list of some to check out and bookmark:

·        AirNow - https://fire.airnow.gov/

o   Shows you air quality and satellite detected fires on a single map.

·        AirNow Enviroflash - http://www.enviroflash.info/signup.cfm

o   Sign up using your email or telephone number to receive air quality forecasts for your area. You can choose the minimum air quality level at which you want to receive forecasts.

·       EPA Smoke Sense Mobile App – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sti.com.ewhsa&hl=en_US

o   Find this in Google Play or the Apple App Store. Search for “EPA’s SmokeSense.” Enter your zip code and get air quality information, nearby fires, and other important smoke and health information.

·       Daily Air Quality Forecasts and Outdoor Open Burning Map – http://www2.deq.idaho.gov/air/AQIPublic/Map/OutdoorBurn

o   Provides a daily air quality forecast and informs you of any open burning bans in your area.

·        InciWeb - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

o   InciWeb is an interagency all-risk incident information management system that provides a single source for incident related information for the public.

·        MODIS Today - http://ge.ssec.wisc.edu/modis-today/

o   Satellite imagery of fires and smoke plumes when visible

Check back throughout the week as we give you lots of tips on how to prepare yourself for a smoky summer and protect your health!

It's Air Quality Awareness Week!!

If you’re from Idaho you know that wildfire season is nearly upon us and if you’re new to Idaho, here’s your warning: Wildfire season is almost here! And where there’s fire, there’s smoke. Not only will smoke take away your chance to see our beautiful Idaho scenery, you could have an itchy throat, watery eyes, and trouble breathing if you do head outside.

Smoke is particularly harmful for the elderly, the very young, pregnant people, and those with heart and lung conditions. There are things you can do to protect yourself from smoke impacts though. First and foremost, prepare your home for a season of smoke – check your home for air leaks, get as good of a filter as you can, and prepare to hunker down if you’re one of those smoke sensitive individuals. You could even create a clean air room in your home with an air cleaner. If that isn’t possible, look to public health officials to identify clean air spaces that you can visit and get some relief from the smoke.

If you do go outside, there are two easy steps you can do before you head out for the day – and you can do both right here on this blog. Start by checking the AQI map and seeing the air quality nearest you or where you plan to play. Secondly, during the wildfire season there will be a smoke forecast posted each day to let you know what kind of smoke impacts are expected for the day (start checking back in June). Using these tools, take action to protect yourself based on your personal level of tolerance and sensitivity to smoke.

So before you go, take a moment to check out this blog and get familiar with the information available here. Read through some old posts on health (Particulate Matter, Protect Yourself, Filters, Air Quality) . Click through the tabs at the top and tour the links. You’ve got some time to prepare but don’t leave it too late! Summer is coming and with it will come wildfire smoke.