Purple air quality9/19/2023 Depending on the AQI, you may need to limit your exposure to outdoor air and remain in cleaner indoor environments, she adds. Since air quality conditions can fluctuate daily, it’s best to review your locale’s information in the morning and plan your day accordingly, says Saari. Check the AQI and Follow Associated Guidance How to Stay Safe When Air Quality Is Poor, According to ExpertsĬonsider the expert tips below on maintaining safety amid dangerous air quality conditions. “For relatively short-term air quality episodes like the current conditions, evidence supports increased risks of multiple outcomes, including premature death, respiratory symptom days and hospitalization,” she says. The unknown entity that we may have to contend with here are those folks who have long-COVID and have chronic fibrotic changes as a result of it.”Īir pollution is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes-especially with long-term exposure to high levels of pollution-according to Rebecca Saari, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo in Canada. “We have historically focused on people who have asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or pulmonary fibrosis. “My biggest concern would be for those folks who already have preexisting pulmonary or lung disease,” he adds. Pregnant people, older adults, children and people with pulmonary and cardiovascular conditions may also be more likely to become sick. People with respiratory conditions like asthma may suffer asthma attacks if breathing in smoky air. “It produces additional strain on the pulmonary and circulatory systems, and we want to make it as easy as possible for those systems to keep us alive.” “Imagine breathing through a dirty filter-that’s what we’re doing without a mask on,” adds Dr. Difficulty breathing, wheezing and/or shortness of breath.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), additional side effects of breathing smoke-filled air include: Air filled with wildfire smoke specifically can contain a mixture of gasses and particles from burning debris, which can cause a person breathing contaminated air to become sick. Read on to learn more about air quality and expert recommendations for staying safe in potentially hazardous air conditions.Īir quality can have a direct impact on a person’s health. “A lot of health entities are starting to recommend the resurgence of N95 masks, and I think it may not be a bad idea, especially if your occupation involves outdoor prolonged exposure.” “Right now we need to establish a modicum of precaution,” says Harry Kopolovich, M.D., an emergency medicine physician and the regional chair of emergency medicine for the Southern Division of Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey. are categorized as “unhealthy” and “very unhealthy.” New York City is currently categorized as “hazardous” on the AQI while other urban locales like Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. According to AirNow, a partnership of government, tribal, state and local air quality and environmental agencies, air quality in areas of the eastern U.S., from Massachusetts down to North Carolina, ranges from “unhealthy for sensitive groups” to “hazardous” on the air quality index (AQI). east coast are facing smoky conditions and air quality alerts as a result of major wildfires in Canada, concentrated in Quebec and northeastern Ontario. Air Quality Index (AQI) Concerns: How To Stay Safe Amid Dangerous Conditions, According To Experts While we work hard to provide accurate and up-to-date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Health does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Health. Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles these “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market. The compensation we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. This compensation comes from two main sources. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Health site. The Forbes Health editorial team is independent and objective.
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