{"id":25794,"date":"2023-06-16T09:53:57","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T09:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/?p=25794"},"modified":"2023-06-16T09:53:57","modified_gmt":"2023-06-16T09:53:57","slug":"air-quality-levels-in-parts-of-the-us-drop-due-to-wildfires-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/?p=25794","title":{"rendered":"Air quality levels in parts of the US drop due to wildfires in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The good news: Portable air purifiers can be very effective, reducing indoor particle concentrations by up to 85 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Experts say you should choose air purifiers that have high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and a clean air delivery rate (a metric of how effective they are at removing pollutants) of at least two-thirds the size of the room for which they are intended.<\/p>\n

“You really want to get the biggest one you can afford that will fit in your room,” said Dr. Barbara Mann, a pulmonologist and assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.<\/p>\n

For most rooms, a clean air delivery rate equal to 300 cubic feet per minute should be sufficient, he said. <\/p>\n

To maximize the effectiveness of air purifiers, change their filters at the recommended intervals and keep windows closed when using them, Mann added. <\/p>\n

Also consider pollutants that may come from indoor sources, said Dr. Peter Moschovis, a pulmonologist and critical care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.<\/p>\n

“Don’t generate extra particles indoors if you can,” he said. “So smoking, vaping, burning incense, aerosolized essential oils, all of those things are not good for your lungs to begin with.” <\/p>\n

Palm said the current situation highlights the long-term risks of wildfires, especially as climate change creates warmer, drier conditions that make such fires more likely and more severe.<\/p>\n

“Over the last decade or so, these fires have been increasing and having an increasing impact not only where the fires are, but very downwind,” he said.<\/p>\n

The US Environmental Protection Agency, along with partner agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA, maintains a interactive map of air quality data called AirNow<\/a> which allows users to view the locations of active fires and assess local conditions and risks.<\/p>\n

\"\"Denise Chow<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Denise Chow is an NBC News Science reporter focused on general science and climate change.<\/p>\n

Evan Bush<\/span><\/p>\n

Evan Bush is a science reporter for NBC News. He can be reached at Evan.Bush@nbcuni.com.<\/p>\n

\"\"Elizabeth Chuck<\/span><\/a><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Elizabeth Chuck is a reporter for NBC News who focuses on health and mental health, especially issues affecting women and children.<\/p>\n

Claire Cardona contributed.<\/p>\n