{"id":8699,"date":"2026-07-16T06:56:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T13:56:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/news\/7745418\/how-to-protect-yourself-from-the-bad-air-caused-by-wildfires-2\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T07:15:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T14:15:17","slug":"how-to-protect-yourself-from-the-bad-air-caused-by-wildfires-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/8699\/how-to-protect-yourself-from-the-bad-air-caused-by-wildfires-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to protect yourself from the bad air caused by wildfires"},"content":{"rendered":"

When wildfires<\/a> burn, smoke can travel long distances and degrade air quality far away, posing risks to those breathing it.<\/p>\n

Fires burning in one state can make the air worse several states away, and wildfires in Canada can send smoke<\/a> into U.S. cities.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about taking precautions against poor air quality due to wildfires.<\/p>\n

What counts as bad air?<\/p>\n

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index converts all pollutant levels into a single number. The lower the number, the better.<\/p>\n

Anything below 50 is classified as \u201chealthy.\u201d Fifty to 100 is \u201cmoderate,\u201d while 100 to 150 is unhealthy for \u201csensitive groups,\u201d and anything above 150 is bad for everyone. <\/p>\n

Sensitive groups include people with asthma, lung disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said Dr. Sanjay Sethi, chief of the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the University at Buffalo medical school.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have heart or lung problems, then you\u2019ve got to be definitely more careful,\u201d Sethi said. \u201cI would either avoid going outside or wear an N95 or at least a dust mask.\u201d <\/p>\n

Is my air unhealthy?<\/p>\n

Sometimes the air is bad enough to see or smell the smoke. Even if you don’t see the pollution, it can be unhealthy to breathe.<\/p>\n

The EPA maintains a website<\/a> with up-to-date, regional air quality information. PurpleAir, a company that sells air quality sensors and publishes real-time air quality data, has a citizen scientist air quality monitoring network with a more granular map<\/a> of street-by-street air quality readings.<\/p>\n

The best way to get indoor air quality readings is to buy a monitor, said Joseph Allen, director of Harvard University’s Healthy Buildings Program.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can find these low-cost, indoor air quality monitors just about everywhere online now. They don\u2019t cost all that much anymore,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

What if I have to go outside?<\/p>\n

For most people, going outside for just a short time won’t have a negative long-term impact, said Sethi.<\/p>\n

Wearing an N95 mask, which became common during the coronavirus pandemic, will help filter out the pollution. <\/p>\n

\u201cN95 is going to get rid of 90-95% of the particles,\u201d said Jennifer Stowell, a research scientist at Boston University\u2019s Center for Climate and Health. \u201cIf you have access to a mask that has a respirator-type attachment to it, then that\u2019s the very best.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you must be outside and you experience symptoms, experts say you should head indoors or elsewhere with better air quality. Even if you are healthy, it\u2019s good to take precautions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you start wheezing, which is like this whistling sound of the chest, or if you\u2019re feeling short of breath, that\u2019s definitely more concerning,\u201d Sethi said.<\/p>\n

How do I make my air cleaner?<\/p>\n

Close the windows and turn on the air conditioner, if you have one, setting it to circulate the indoor air. Use blankets to cover cracks that allow outside air into your home, such as under doors. <\/p>\n

Finally, swapping the air conditioner’s filter for a MERV 13 filter can help, but ensure it’s installed correctly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you happen to have access to an air purifier, even if it\u2019s just a room air purifier, try to keep it running and in the room that you\u2019re doing most of your activities in,\u201d said Stowell.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Wells is a former reporter for The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

The Associated Press\u2019 climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP\u2019s standards<\/a> for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
A plumes of smoke from the Camp Fire hang in the air over Moose Lake as multiple wildfires burn in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (Anthony Souffle\/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
Boats maneuver the East River near the Brooklyn Bridge as smoke from wildfires blankets the sky Thursday, July 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Alyssa Goodman)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When wildfires burn, smoke can travel long distances and degrade air quality far away, posing risks to those breathing it. Fires burning in one state can make the air worse several states away, and wildfires in Canada can send smoke into U.S. cities. Here\u2019s what to know about taking precautions against poor air quality due […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":8700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"guid":"ddb819fd-2a99-4280-b2d5-a102c17636d4","source":"The Associated Press","byline":"Caleigh Wells","published":"2026-07-16 06:56:29","updated":"2026-07-16 07:08:16","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1737,1738],"tags":[],"region":[1687],"class_list":["post-8699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-world","region-canada"],"blocksy_meta":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/8699\/how-to-protect-yourself-from-the-bad-air-caused-by-wildfires-2\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"How to protect yourself from the bad air caused by wildfires","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/8699\/how-to-protect-yourself-from-the-bad-air-caused-by-wildfires-2\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/8699\/how-to-protect-yourself-from-the-bad-air-caused-by-wildfires-2\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/inhome-58bb186b266da5eb3e43ea19417efc1573a04d315a79295cf2f141c6d9671142.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/inhome-58bb186b266da5eb3e43ea19417efc1573a04d315a79295cf2f141c6d9671142.jpg"},"articleSection":"International","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Associated Press"}],"creator":["The Associated Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNhome","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-07-16T13:56:29Z","datePublished":"2026-07-16T13:56:29Z","dateModified":"2026-07-16T14:15:17Z"},"rendered":"