Natural disasters like hurricanes and forest fires are on the rise. Not only do they put your safety at risk, but they also threaten your health via poor air quality.
This blog post will take a look at the ways in which forest fires affect the air quality in your home (and what you can do about it).
How Forest Fires Affect The Air Quality In Your Home
Forest fires release small particles into Earth’s atmosphere; examples here include particulate matter, carbon monoxide, atmospheric mercury, ozone-forming chemicals and volatile organic chemicals.
According to the World Health Organization, even a small amount of small particulate pollution can be harmful.
Another problem with forest fires is that their emissions can travel long distances. Even if you are not located near the forest fire, your home may still be exposed to these emissions. These can enter your home through doors and windows and through various cracks in your home.
What You Can Do About It
During or after a forest fire, it’s important to stay indoors and close your windows. It is also a good idea to run your air conditioner.
It goes without saying that it’s very important to pay attention to the air quality levels in your town or city both during and after a forest fire, to ensure that it is safe to resume your regular activities. In short, avoid going outside or performing any strenuous activities, until it’s safe to go outdoors.
This is particularly important for children, the elderly, and those with various respiratory diseases, who are more vulnerable.
You should avoid wearing a mask because this can actually make it so that you have to breathe deeper, which in turn means you could end up inhaling more toxins.
The only people who should wear masks are those who have to work outside. In these cases, it’s important to choose a N-95 mask, which is capable of blocking around 95% of very small particles. However, you must ensure that the mask is properly fitted.
Now is also a good time to check that the air filter in your HVAC system has been recently replaced, to ensure that your home has the best possible level of filtration.
You can also consider using your portable air filter if you have one.
APC Filtration has been designing, engineering, manufacturing and testing air filters for more than three decades. We develop very powerful air filters to ensure superior filtration in every industry. Contact us for more information.
