Forum Index > Trail Talk > Breathing Seattle’s air right now is like smoking 7 cigarettes per day
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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 9:15 am 
I’ve been meaning to start a thread about the long-term health impacts from breathing this bad air, and to ask people how they’re coping. I’m staying indoors and avoiding all unnecessary activity, which is driving me crazy. My eyes are itchy and sinuses feel irritated. I got a mask to breathe through, which is uncomfortable, but so is looking outside.
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As of Tuesday morning, the Air Quality Index in Seattle was at 181, a rating classified as “unhealthy.” In parts of the city, the index rose as high as 220, which is “very unhealthy.” To put it in perspective, an AQI of 150 is roughly equal to smoking seven cigarettes in a day. That means residents should avoid being outside and exerting themselves, particularly people with heart and lung problems, the elderly, and children.
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/8/21/17761908/seattle-air-quality-haze-smoke-wildfire-health

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neek
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neek
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 9:30 am 
These few smoky days are probably nothing compared to all the second hand smoke I breathed as a kid. Not sure if that's something I should feel good about. At least I've been getting a lot of reading done. Also been running the furnace in fan-only mode, hoping the electrostatic filter is getting out some of the fine particles. Eyes and lungs didn't feel good during a hike on Sunday so that was maybe a bad idea. But it's a good time to practice negative visualization in the Stoic sense, i.e. be glad you don't have a smoke allergy or asthma. Unless you do. In which case you'll have to be more creative.

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Schenk
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Schenk
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 9:42 am 
There are three sites for AQI in Spokane and one of them hit 408 for PM 2.5, and 393 for PM 1.0, for a short period between Sunday night and yesterday morning. Today we are back down to 130-140 on average....still smoky

Nature exists with a stark indifference to humans' situation.
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mbravenboer
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 9:58 am 
My respiratory system is not great and I work from home without AC, so I bought one of these air purifiers. It actually appears to work well. The air quality indicator on the device appears to correspond to what's happening outside, and it works harder to keep it clean. Pretty happy with it so far.

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zephyr
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zephyr
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 10:23 am 
mbravenboer wrote:
so I bought one of these air purifiers.
Hey, mbravenboer, would you mind telling me what make and model you got and any other useful information? Source? etc. Thanks, ~z

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mbravenboer
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 10:32 am 
zephyr wrote:
would you mind telling me what make and model you got and any other useful information?
I didn't want to advertise a specific product because I'm not an expert, but because you asked: I got the Coway AP-1512HH. Definitely read up though, because I did get the impression that there are a lot of scam products in this area. Before ordering this specific one, I did search a bit. My main sources were: https://www.techgearlab.com/topics/health-wellness/best-air-purifier https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/24/smarter-living/what-to-know-before-buying-an-air-purifier.html You can find much more expensive devices that appear to be designed specifically for smokers, where I guess the load on the device is very high. I haven't reviewed if those have additional benefits. I guess that may be the case if you live in Wenatchee or Spokane and are dealing with >200 for weeks in a row.

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zephyr
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zephyr
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 10:48 am 
Thank you! I really appreciate it. ~z

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kiliki
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 11:59 am 
The sight of people smoking outside downtown office buildings in this smoke is pretty wild. I know they aren't getting their nic fix by breathing the air, but it's just so hard to imagine wanting to produce more smoke in the midst of all of this.

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Chief Joseph
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 12:08 pm 
I doubt if smoking tobacco has much additional impact, that's like having a smoke in a gas chamber...

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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treeswarper
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treeswarper
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 12:13 pm 
I am getting tired of all the complaining, not just here but on facebook, big time. I like this article. http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/aug/13/paul-turner-newbies-were-never-promised-clear-skie/ I feel like things are being blown out of proportion, but I have a cold and am coughing like crazy so I'll blame it on the smoke.

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
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grannyhiker
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 1:27 pm 
Youtube video on filtering particles Homemade cheap air purifier, maybe $35--this has been featured in a number of news articles about our smoke. It will filter about 90% of the particles: 1 20" box fan 1 furnace filter, HEPA, MERV 13, 20" square, Tape filter to front of fan Turn on the fan I have the fan, but not the filter, and with Portland's particle level at 167 (down from 176 early this morning) and my already damaged lungs, I'm not venturing outside! I plan to go shopping as soon as I can, to be ready for the next round. I'm staying in my bedroom with its room AC, but I'm already getting a bit stir-crazy. Hopefully, freedom and marine air will arrive Thursday!

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.--E.Abbey
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fourteen410
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 1:38 pm 
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grannyhiker
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 1:49 pm 
Not such good advice for us elderly folks. Octogenarian lungs are not going to do the job. I got a really nasty dose of smoke last year, near Sisters during the solar eclipse (although the smoke magically went away during the eclipse!) and during the Columbia Gorge fire. I've been coughing ever since, so have no desire to test the above advice which is for healthy and younger adults!

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.--E.Abbey
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AlpineRose
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 1:51 pm 
Well that's just the thing. My situation is such that I no longer trust my body's defenses. I had read that article and noticed how often it uses the phrase "most people". I am not one of the "most people". Also, for the purposes of this discussion the "seven cigarette" level is somewhat meaningless. There are too many variables. For example, is it for someone who works in an air conditioned building all day and drives home in an air conditioned car to a house without air conditioning. Is it for someone who hypothetically speaking would be sitting or walking normally outside for a whole 24 hr day? It's probably not for someone exercising vigorously for a day or days, where smoke inhalation could very well be the equivalent of, oh, 3 packs a day.

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AlpineRose
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PostTue Aug 21, 2018 2:34 pm 
I am staying indoors with windows closed. I even shut the little window slots that allow for fresh air intake in my newer, tighter building. I bought a box of N95 filters, but haven't used one yet, as they make breathing physically harder. I too bought an air purifier, a Honeywell HPA300, which was highly rated by Consumer Reports (online), It's for a larger space, but there are also the HPA100 and HPA200 for smaller spaces. I've been running the HPA300 downstairs during the day and in my bedroom at night. I'm thinking of getting a second purifier (may or may not be a Honeywell), so I have one for both upstairs and downstairs. CR actually does their own testing, so their comparisons are evidence based rather than subjective. The Consumer Reports review is a good place to start. CR online requires a subscription, BUT you can request a free 30-day trial to read the review. There is a lot of good information in that review to help you decide what to look for in an air purifier and what you think you need. The Coway AP-1512HH was rated highly by Wirecutter, but be aware it produces a small amount of ozone. Supposedly at EPA approved levels. The ozone-producing feature can be turned off, but one reviewer remarked they could smell ozone even with that feature turned off. I chose not to buy the Coway for that reason. I have no way to measure ozone in my house. Therefore, I cannot predict what the buildup would be over time in my tightly enclosed space, where there is very little air exchange (see above). O3 is highly reactive, which is what makes it a good purifier. However, O3 does not discriminate what it reacts against. This would include your lung tissue, which makes it a pollutant. I didn't want to chance it. Air purifiers can be divided into two groups. The first group is "mechanical only", where all the purifying is accomplished through at least two filters, a pre-filter and a HEPA filter. The pre-filter grabs the big stuff,i.e., pet hair, dust and dander. The HEPA filter grabs the small stuff, including wildfire smoke (PM2.5) particles. Air purifiers in the second group have an ozone producing component in addition to mechanical filtration. The HPA300 is in the first group, the Coway AP-1512HH in the second. Keep in mind it's the HEPA filter that does most of the important work. Also, be aware most of the ozone producing units let you turn off the ozone feature (why do you suppose THAT is?) Some purifiers have an air sensor that measures air quality and an AUTO mode that uses the air sensor to speed up or slow down the filtration rate as needed. The HPA300 doesn't have that, but it's something I would really like to have. Unfortunately, the only units I've found with the air sensor/AUTO feature are ones that produce ozone. So TBD when/if I get a second air purifier. My neighbor got a WINIX 5500-2, based on the Wirecutter review. It has the air sensor/AUTO feature and something called Plasmawave technology. The latter produces hydroxyl radicals to purify air, but unfortunately produces ozone on the way to the OH radicals. The Plasmawave can be turned off. Reviews: https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/air-purifiers/buying-guide/index.htm (need login) https://homeairguides.com/about-air-purifiers/ https://homeairguides.com/reviews/ https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-air-purifier/ https://www.toptenreviews.com/health/wellness/best-air-purifiers/

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