This one came to me via a friend. Western OR and parts of CA clocked around 700ppm over the weekend, which goes well beyond the EPA’s air quality scale that tops out at 500ppm (“hazardous”).
How are people dealing with this? I’m near SF where levels have been around 200 ~ 250ppm and it’s been just miserable—and I have respirators and air purifiers handy!
I have several large HEPA filters running 100% of the time in my home. They work great. When it's really bad, I moisten the prefilter a little to grab more material. If that is not enough, saline solution can be used to irrigate the sinuses and eye drops to flush the eyes.
Particulate matter in wood smoke is supposedly around 0.4–0.7 μm which which is a little bigger than a SARS-Cov2 virus particle at 0.1 μm so an N95 mask should handle both (not sure about paper surgical masks, almost certainly better than nothing for wood smoke).
AFAIK, the mechanism of action of paper surgical masks, and cloth masks, is not by catching particles of that size, but primarily by catching larger droplets and by disrupting forward airflow on exhalation. So their usefulness for smoke would seem questionable.
I’m personally shocked that none of the major smart thermostat vendors include anything like this. I’d love my ecobee to tell me if the air I’m breathing is healthy, as well as what temp it is...
I have yet to make such an investment as good air monitors are fairly expensive, but I’m hoping to get a few indoor monitors from Purple Air (~$200 USD).
You can build your own air quality sensor with our instructions. Our sensor uses the same PM sensor like in the purple air. You can build it for <USD 20.
BTW: Our main product is an air quality monitoring service specifically designed for schools. Since we are just starting, I would love to talk to parents, teachers etc. from schools that want to monitor their air quality better. Please contact me if you are interested to talk!
it really does seem that anyone who offers a valid solution to the problem gets labeled a "Marxist" because of "Doing literally anything? Who's going to pay for it???" kneejerk hysteria.
Leaks revealed famous world reviled Marxists Ellen Denegeneres and George Bush conspiring to send funds to sleeper cell deep state arsonists! Is the Bureau of Land Management planning to abort your children??? Watch this Tim Pool video, all the evidence is there!
How are people dealing with this? I’m near SF where levels have been around 200 ~ 250ppm and it’s been just miserable—and I have respirators and air purifiers handy!