Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Wildfire smoke can make its way into your home.


To help keep your indoor air as clean as possible, follow these steps.


  • Keep windows and doors closed. Track the outside air quality and open your windows for fresh air when the air quality improves. Pay attention to the heat indoors. Close curtains to reduce heat gain during the hottest part of the day. Use fans to circulate the air.
  • Run an air conditioner, set it to re-circulate and close the fresh-air intake. Make sure to change the filter regularly.
  • Use an air cleaner with a  high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to reduce indoor air pollution, this will reduce the number of irritating fine particles in indoor air. A HEPA filter with charcoal will help remove some of the gases from the smoke. Don’t use an air cleaner that produces ozone. See California’s air cleaning devices for the home fact sheet (PDF).
  • Don’t add to indoor pollution. Don’t smoke. Don’t use food broilers, candles, incense, fireplaces, or gas stoves. Don’t vacuum unless your vacuum has a HEPA filter, because vacuuming stirs up particles already inside your home.
  • Consider leaving the area if the air quality is poor and it's not possible to keep indoor air clean, especially if you or those you are caring for are having health problems or are in a sensitive group.
  • For more information about keeping indoor air free of smoke: Improving Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality during Wildfire Smoke Events (PDF).
El humo de incendios forestales pudiera entrar en su hogar.  Para que el aire de su hogar se  mantenga lo más limpio posible siga estos pasos.

  • Mantenga las puertas y ventanas cerradas. Manténgase al día sobre la calidad del aire y abra puertas y ventanas cuando mejore el aire. Ponga atención al calor dentro de su hogar. Cierre cortinas para reducir el calor durante las horas más calurosas del día. Use ventiladores para que circule el aire.  

  • Prenda el aire acondicionado, colóquelo en modo recirculación y cierre el ingreso de aire fresco. Asegúrese de cambiar el filtro regularmente. 

  • Utilice purificadores de aire de alta eficiencia (HEPA, high-efficiency particulate air) para reducir la contaminación del aire dentro de su hogar. Un filtro HEPA de carbón ayudará a remover algunos de los gases del humo. No use un limpiador de aire que produzca ozono. Vea los instrumentos de California para purificar el aire (PDF) (solo en inglés). 

  • No contribuya a contaminar el aire en el  interior de su hogar . No fume. No utilice braceros para cocinar, velas, chimeneas o estufas de gas. No utilice una aspiradora a menos que tu aspiradora tenga un filtro HEPA, ya que de esta forma moverá las partículas que ya se encuentran en el interior de su hogar. 

  • Considere salir del área si la calidad del aire sigue mala y no es posible mantener el aire del interior de su hogar limpio, especialmente si está cuidando a personas con problemas de salud o que tengan más sensibilidad al humo.  







5 comments:

  1. Been having headaches the past few days. Didn't put It together till today.

    At work today had a huge headache, and was feeling pretty sick. Should I stay home If levels remain the same, or Is a headache all I should get at "Unhealthy" levels?

    I work next to a door that opens constantly all day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My opinion: Stay home if you're getting headaches.

      Delete
    2. Smoke exposures can cause these symptoms, but we can’t be certain that’s the cause. Regardless, doing whatever you can to reduce your exposures to smoke is a good idea. Check out our tips on how to keep indoor air clean from the blog post yesterday or check out the Dept. of Health’s Smoke from Fires website www.doh.wa.gov/smokefromfires for more info. If you continue to be concerned about symptoms, seek advice from your healthcare provider.

      Delete

We monitor this site during business hours, Monday through Friday, 8AM to 5PM. We encourage your questions, comments, and feedback. We ask that everyone be respectful of the opinions of others, and avoid comments that are defamatory, inappropriate or off-topic. If you have an emergency, please call 911.

We moderate all comments to prevent spam. Your comment will publish upon review