How To Protect Your Family From Wildfire Smoke
How high is your AQI? Knowing your local Air Quality Index is a powerful first step toward protecting yourself and loved ones from the dangers of wildfire smoke.
With wildfire season erupting in states across the country, a UCLA pulmonologist warns that exposure to wildfire smoke is like smoking as much as half a pack of cigarettes a day. When homes burn, the harmful particles released into the air surpass car exhaust in their level of toxicity.
Owning your own air quality monitor is a first step toward protecting yourself and family since they effectively help you detect the level of pollutants and particulates in the air you’re breathing. Knowing whether it’s under 50 or as high as 200 can help you determine what next steps to take.
To learn about these additional steps, check out this article on NPR.
Serenity Township
I never realized how much wildfire smoke can effect one’s health with the same impact as smoking half a pack of cigarettes. Thank you for posting this timely information. I certainly will start paying more attention to air quality numbers…and buy a new filter for my air purifier.
Slipstream
I'm happy to have air filters that work 😚
Evangel
Here's a pretty cool online monitor to track what's in the air in your community: https://www.iqair.com/us/usa/california/los-angeles
But, if you want to buy a personal in-home monitor, you can get one here:
https://www.iqair.com/us/products/air-quality-monitors
Youngdannville
Air quality numbers will be few and far between now that DJT has ordered the stoppage of the satellite monitoring it
Evangel
That's true. Fortunately, mapping of air quality now belongs to the people who volunteer to participate in air quality monitoring via the installation of an outdoor monitor they've purchased. For instance, the map of Los Angeles's AQI that you see on iqair.com is data provided by 303 monitoring stations installed throughout LA by individual volunteers.