All over the world, cities are covered with orange skies because of the fires. Here’s what to have in your closet in anticipation of these phenomena.
Smoke from Canada’s wildfires, which are experiencing their worst season on record, has arrived in Europe and more particularly in France. The cloud of smoke crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached Western Europe, marking the unprecedented impact of the Canadian fires on a global scale.
Smoke is expected to linger in the upper levels of the atmosphere over Europe for much of this week. As the smoke is injected at high altitude, it is able to stay in the atmosphere longer and travel greater distances. At this altitude, the smoke will not cause a dramatic deterioration in air quality, but if a large fire were to break out in Europe, the smoke would be much lower in the atmosphere and therefore more dangerous.
As climate change promotes an increase in wildfires, each season we are witnessing more smoke spreading through the atmosphere. Depending on wind and weather, this smoke can travel hundreds or thousands of miles from its point of origin.
And it is very likely that we will continue to observe an increase in the severity, frequency and duration of these phenomena as the planet warms. In the United States, the 10 most devastating wildfire seasons in terms of acres burned have all occurred since 2004. Records are set and then broken each year for area, homes destroyed, or lives lost.
A person is powerless to change the weather or control where the smoke is going, but there are things you can do to prepare and protect yourself from the worst.
If you’re lucky enough to have an indoor or remote job, staying indoors gives you more control over the air quality. Those who work outdoors should limit their physical activity and some countries even require workers to wear masks on extremely bad air days. Invest in a better air filter: If your home/office has a central air conditioning system, make sure your air filter is rated for 2.5 micron particles. This generally costs more than a basic dust filter, but is more effective at filtering small smoke particles suspended in the atmosphere. If your filter looks visibly dirty, replace it. Be sure to change it every three months during fire season, and every six months in normal use.
Create your own air filtration system: Whether you have central air conditioning or window air conditioning, you can complete your air purification with a Corsi-Rosenthal box – a do-it-yourself solution using four filters assembled with tape and a fan on top, creating an improvised room-to-room air filtration solution. For $150 you can create a robust solution that will change the air about five times per hour. How it works ? Air is drawn in through the filter, and expelled by the fan upwards. The basic design only requires cardboard, tape, a box fan, and air filters, all available at a hardware store. Note that this is not a substitute for wearing masks outdoors, and you will need space around the fan for air to pass through the filters.
Wear an FFP2 or better mask outdoors: the best mask should have two straps, one that goes over your ears, and one below, for better sealing of the face and to make sure you don’t suck in of smoke particles when you inhale. You can get better protection with disposable FFP3 masks and reusable FFP3 half masks sometimes used by firefighters in more static environments. High protection masks are more expensive, bulkier, and less practical for occasional use. For added comfort, you can also get an FFP2 mask with an exhalation valve, which will reduce fogging and the buildup of moisture and heat when exhaling.
Take care of your eyes: Over-the-counter generic eye drops are great for reddened and irritated eyes with airborne particles, and will help lubricate the surface of the eye and remove contaminants.
