I assume that when many readers see a sentence with the phrase ‘quality of life,’ accompanied by an acronym like AQI, they will think to themselves “now what test is that again? My doctor orders plenty, but I don’t remember that one.” Relax. You haven’t forgotten. Nevertheless, it is practical to consider AQI regularly. It’s your local Air Quality Index (AQI).
Let’s skip any argument about the existence of climate change. We know, and can at least all agree, we are having extreme weather in many places. Flooding where it didn’t used to happen. Red Tide seasons forcing tourists and residents out of Florida and elsewhere. Hurricane seasons with merciless excess, even threatening the very existence of some islands and costal lands. Opposite on the spectrum of too much water, is too little, with droughts to rival the dust-bowl days and ruining landscaping and crops – all exacerbated by excessive heat. Even outside my old Arizona haunts, temperatures in ‘cool’ states are easily reaching 100 degrees or more. Pant. Pant. We see tornados in the northeast, way outside of Dorothy’s land and snowfalls breaking long-standing numbers. The ever-growing ubiquitous and devastating fires now act like ‘fire tornados’ causing significant loss of life, limb (of both people and trees) as well as property and sentimental possessions. Thus, I don’t need to continue the litany of extreme weather – we all see it.
Often this extreme weather causes health problems we only infrequently struggle with in our ‘normal’ lives. I put normal in quotes to say that I hope (perhaps beyond hope) people are wrong in calling these excesses the “new normal.” Flooding and hurricane victims in our country are lucky enough to avoid resulting diseases like malaria that other poorer nations face. But flood waters still bring mold, bacteria and other related risks. Even drought areas can be affected with uncontrolled dust elements in the air. Consider the massive increase in dry areas of ‘Valley Fever’ (Coccidioidomycosis), a condition that was rare at the time my father contracted it when stationed in California. In addition, it is still unknown exactly what the foul-smelling Red Tides are doing, along with killing fish and sea life.
To speak for myself, and so many in the western USA, the ever-growing, and long-lasting, fires are creating havoc with our air. Worse is that, similar to ocean tides washing up materials from Asian earthquakes and tsunamis (like that of Fukushima remnants), the smoke particles are drifting east in the US as well. At my house, high levels of particulate matter have been concealing the view of local mountains, but in many areas, it is unseen. Unseen, but still unsafe.
As climate change worsens, self-awareness of our personal space may need to expand. We don’t need to be climate scientists, just better observers of the daily air we breathe.
Where do YOU Start?
We don’t want to swallow the whole enchilada, so let’s take just a small bite. Learn a couple terminologies, and be familiar with the number scale. Let’s start with the latter.
There are six (6) major pollutants in our personal environments. Yet, basically there are only two that require immediate steps to make a difference in our own health. (The others – mentioned below – can be affected by choices we make as individuals in society, but are more a community than individual issue.) Regarding the work of local, state or federal governments, you can evaluate results by understanding some standards at the EPA’s site. We realize we need to avoid Robert Orben’s comment coming true:
“There’s so much pollution in the air now that if it weren’t for our lungs
there’d be no place to put it all.”
In passing, the term ‘Smog’ is rather unhelpful. The hybrid of smoke and fog (to explain its odor and opacity), it’s not specifically one thing. Smog is a human-made pollution of a visible type but can be comprised of nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, particles like CFC’s, ozone, smoke and dirt/dust. As a rule, ozone (more below) is its main component.
The Two Pollutants for You to Watch
1. PM
Particulate Matter (PM) is sometimes referred to as ‘particle pollution’ – same thing. Of various sizes, that is how they are classified, by size, not chemical makeup. PM is a mixture of liquid and solid particles in the air (common among these are dust, dirt, soot and smoke). To give you an idea of size, if you aren’t bald, look at a strand of your hair. That’s approximately, 50-70 microns in diameter. There are two common PM sizes that are tracked: PM10 (small sand, mold and dust) that is 10 microns in diameter (compared to that hair of more than 50). Then there is PM 2.5, the property of smoke and very fine particles. As you may have guessed, it is 2.5 microns, so very small.
All PM is dangerous to some extent. And surprisingly, some amount of PM can come from indoor sources, like cooking (especially frying or broiling), burning candles or oil lamps, using a fuel-burning space heater (like kerosene) or operating your fireplace (especially wood burning). But the troublesome variety, both sources and amounts, come from the outdoors: hundreds of chemicals, construction dust, dirt roads, wind-blown fields, vehicle exhaust and, as we know smokestacks and fires.
Detrimental to our health, these small particles (PM 10 or PM 2.5) can be breathed deep down into our lungs, and even transported to the bloodstream. We’re well aware of the short-term effects we can feel on bad days, such as itchy eyes, runny nose, sore throat, coughing, sneezing or shortness of breath. It can worsen conditions for people with asthma and perhaps surprisingly heart ailments. Unfortunately, long-term exposure can be linked to chronic bronchitis, reduced lung capacity and death from lung cancer and heart disease. Hence, our reason to pay attention.
Further, just because you don’t live in a section of the country on fire, you aren’t necessarily safe and free from care. When New York State measured particles clearly not from within the state, the EPA explained that “fine particles can be carried long distances from their source, events such as wildfires or volcanic eruptions can raise fine particle concentrations hundreds of miles from the event” [emphasis mine.]
The EPA does set standards for PM and other elements (most countries do, although not all are alike). According to them, we should strive for the level quoted below of air quality in our locales.
The short-term standard (24-hour or daily average) is 35 (micrograms)
per cubic meter of air (µg/m3)
and the long-term standard (annual average) is 12 µg/m3.
— EPA
2. Ozone
This can confuse people because there is GOOD ozone and BAD ozone. Remember the first discovery of a “hole” in the ozone? That is the ozone in the upper atmosphere. This GOOD stratospheric ozone shields us from the sun’s ultraviolet rays and forms a protective layer against what these harmful rays can do to us. The “hole” happened after manmade chemicals destroyed part of the ozone there. A scary thing. Supposedly, at this point, there is some good news about it. After efforts to bridle some of our destructive nature, the stratospheric ozone is replenishing a bit and as such, the hole is diminishing for now. You can learn more about good ozone here.
When it comes to the bad ozone, we aren’t as lucky. Outside of the ozone layer, the ground ozone molecule (technically O3) is harmful to air quality. The culprits aren’t surprising, (the usual suspects): industrial facilities, cars and other vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapors, chemical solvents, and electric utilities. Ozone levels are also elevated in the presence of wildfire smoke (Colorado State University).
Bad ozone should be thought of as a chemical reaction. Production takes place only in the presence of sunlight, and when oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds (VOC) interact. Breathing the results of this reaction (meaning ozone) are harmful, more so for children (why are people allowing their kids out in this so often), and the elderly, as well as those with lung disease. Breathing in amplified levels of ground ozone can trigger the symptoms we are used to hearing about: chest pain, sore throat, mucus membrane irritation, coughing, and airway restrictions or inflammation. Those sound like conditions we can tolerate (at least for a few days), but it can also harm lung tissue and reduce function, as well as worsen asthma, emphysema and bronchitis.
While ozone is most likely to extend into ‘unhealthy’ levels in urban areas, and especially on hot / sunny days (don’t forget the sun is a catalyst), it is not contained there. More important to rural folks, ozone can travel great distances, transported by the wind – so no area is immune. It can happen in cooler months too.
By the way, don’t be surprised if your backyard and landscaping (or gardens) look a bit forlorn during times of high ozone. Not only does the ground type of ozone affect us, it is harmful to sensitive vegetation and in general to ecosystems.
Decades old regulations attempt to aid states in reducing outdoor air ozone levels, which we cannot control alone. See latest: EPA proposes action on Clean Air Act Section 126 petitions from Delaware and Maryland (May 31, 2018)
What about the Other Stuff in the Air?
If you wish to know more about the other 4 common pollutants: Sulfur Dioxide (mentioned under London Fog in my post A Dozen Things Learned During 2017), Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Monoxide and Lead, visit this EPA link: https://www.epa.gov/criteria-air-pollutants. As mentioned above they are not included here because we don’t generally respond to them with immediate and personal action.
4 SIMPLE Things YOU can Do almost Immediately for Self-Protection
It might be nice if we could live in the days Lane Olinghouse reminisces about when he asks, “Remember when atmospheric contaminants were romantically called stardust?” Alas, reality sets in.
Aside from prayers, or social activism in your community to make a collective difference, there ARE a few things you can do in the immediate future. Here are 4 steps that are simple, quick and cost little.
1. Learn Where to Check your Local Monitor Readings.
The government’s site AirNow is the most well-known spot to check AQI. Each day, it tracks and records how polluted (or clean) the outdoor air is in your city/town, and what effects may be of concern.
Related to AirNow is another service for which you can sign up to receive air quality notifications. You can get there through AirNow or by going to www.enviroflash.info.
Most states have their own AQI website and can easily be found with a short search. Alternatively, look for a ‘Regional Air Quality Council’ in your state. In my area, the local fire department has an informative site which records PM and ozone at current levels, as well as the maximum and minimum amounts for the day. Check your city or fire department for something similar.
2. Plan a Couple Temporary Changes in Lifestyle.
Plan exercise that can be done indoors or at the gym to avoid exertion outdoors on days with a bad AQI. [Make a pact with yourself ahead of time, identifying WHAT level of AQI you won’t exercise in while outdoors. Otherwise, you will be tempted just to ignore it ‘for today.’]
If possible, don’t burn in your fireplace or use a wood stove for the day. This isn’t just to benefit your neighbor; it’s for the sake of your health too. In the yard, avoid using the gas-powered lawn or garden equipment, as well as not burning leaves or other materials. [Although, I rather wonder why you would be outdoors at all on such a day.]
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3. Use your Home to Help Filter.
No matter whether you are in your own home, apartment, or senior complex, take charge to filter your OWN AIR the best you can. So, how to evaluate air filter replacements?
Some folks might first consider a HEPA filter – either as a stand-alone unit sized to fit the room OR for an A/C replacement filter. That needs a bit more research than I am including here, as well as a few more pennies.
However, I dare say, most of my readers already have an A/C and fan unit that can help them filter their air. To compare replacement A/C filters, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers developed the MERV system.
MERV = Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value
The higher the MERV number, the more efficient the filter is at capturing smaller particles.
As an example, I will explain my own, which currently is neither HEPA nor a top-of-the-line variety, but fairly good. [By the way, during poor AQI times, you might actually wish to abide by the manufacture’s recommendations of changing the filter after 3 months.] Our local hardware store product is a MERV-11, pleated micro particle air filter. Like many, it is “electro statistically” charged, which claims to trap more minute particles. This one will trap particles down to 1 micron (remember, the number of smoke is approximately 2.5). It’s designed to filter out:
Dust/lint Pet dander Pollen Mold Spores Dust mite debris
Smoke Bacteria Virus carriers Microscopic (and large) allergens
4. Concede to the Idea of Wearing a Facemask when Times are Bad.
Remembering that good air quality is 1-50 and that a number over 300 is hazardous, I couldn’t conceive of the notion that Beijing once recorded 900 (according to one local Chinese tour guide). I couldn’t really visualize it (maybe still can’t entirely) until this year when we had an AQI over 500. Just a couple years ago, as China prepared for the Olympics, their smog became an issue. In the states, we saw pictures of people walking their streets wearing masks. I remember thinking to myself “can you imagine that? It’s like futurist Blade Runner days.” Well, welcome to extreme weather – and people needing masks.
Masks are uncomfortable, pull on and mess up your combed hair, put lines in your face (especially if you are dehydrated) and make breathing feel onerous. Despite that ‘sales job,’ it’s something for us to seriously consider having on hand.
It is strongly recommended that you use a face mask on truly poor AQI days (that could mean over 100 or over 150, depending on whether you fall into a sensitive group). Hint – simple dust masks won’t cut it. You need to get the ones that say “N95-certified” (or N100). 3M is probably the most available, and there are the more ‘stylish’ Vogmasks N99 (black, colored or printed). There are masks out of Korea (and elsewhere) known as KN95-certified, which may be adequate as well.
While it may seem like it, buying the right facemask for pollution is not rocket science. Still, there are a few factors to consider:
Air Leakage. The metal nose bridge should be pinched together just right to stop leaks. Kid versions are not as readily available as adult models are, but nor are they impossible to find. (Vogmask has them online.) Correct sizing is important to prevent leakage.
Comfort. Perhaps a matter of taste, but some straps go behind the head (like the 3M), and not around the ears. Some people prefer the ‘ears’ model for easier on and off – and hair styling. I have only tried the 3M version and I can say that it will leave strap lines on your face. If you haven’t been drinking enough fluids, these can last for many hours.
Glass & Fog Factor. If the seal isn’t right around the nose, some eyeglass wearers experience glass fogging. A mask with an exhaust valve reduces this problem (and also tends to feel cooler). While I have not tried it, some Vogmask models have two valves.
Ability to Exercise. There are frequent complaints about wearing a mask and exercising. Agreement seems to be that models with the exhalation valve are far superior.
The look. Yes, the one I use is NOT in the stylish camp, but rather has a ‘look-at-me’ bright white color, yellow straps, and orange letters on the formidable exhalation valve. Yikes – saw you coming a block away. You won’t be in the faction of hipsters wearing this one. Many people pick the Vogmasks for this reason.
Yuck Factor. After a few days use (maybe up to a week depending on time worn), the throw-away masks can become grimy, grey and fatigued. If they are carried in a pocketbook, they can be easily worn down.
Durability. Not all masks are throw-away; some use replacement filters. However, each mask (or filter) should last at least a few days of continual use before becoming ineffective. [Hint: if it becomes less easy to breathe, that may indicate it has become dirty and ineffective and should be changed.] While more expensive, a Vogmask can be washed and reused many times without loss of effectiveness.
Cost. Like everything, this ranges. Some special respirator masks are in the $50-60 or more range although some sophisticated types can still be purchased for between $25 – $45. There are permanent PM masks, using replacement filters to be purchased well under $40. The Vogmask N99 run from about $20-45. N95s (like the 3M) cost around $6 in your local hardware store. However, if AQI seems like an ‘issue’ in the area, you might consider a box of 10, which is significantly less money, usually under $3/mask. [Online, even under $2 apiece.]
For more info on facemasks, see the reference section at the bottom.
NOT TO BE LEFT UNSAID
We can help do our part in other ways as well. This link leads to a good explanation of long-term habits and social responsible steps to be taken to benefit us all. You Can Help Keep the Air Cleaner — Every Day!
I suspect we want to avoid being like the birds when David Letterman ruminates:
“Fall is my favorite season in Los Angeles,
watching the birds change color and fall from the trees.”
—
References
If you want to read in detail about protective facemasks for yourself, try one of these references:
1. Masks and N95 Respirators (updated). From FDA Personal Protective Equipment. https://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/GeneralHospitalDevicesandSupplies/PersonalProtectiveEquipment/ucm055977.htm
2. Center for Disease Control and Prevention – the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) report on Ancillary Respirator Information and Healthcare. CDC – NIOSH – NPPTL Respirator Trusted-Source, Ancillary Respirator Information, Healthcare FAQ. Retrieved Aug 2018
3. Respirator mask reduces effects of pollution on the heart (April 6, 2016) Science News
[Study suggests wearing anti-pollution filter masks can lessen the impact of vehicle emissions on people with heart failure, and reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.]
Picture credit: (drought woman) Nature 845849 by Comfreak via Pixabay
