What should you do when air quality reaches "unhealthy" levels?
Whether or not you feel physically impacted by the Canadian wildfire smoke leading to poor air quality in the Chicago area, there are some things you can do to protect yourself and those who may be at a higher risk of complications.
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WATCH HEREAn air quality alert is in effect Thursday for the entire Chicago area. The poor air quality is expected to last at least until midnight, the NBC 5 Storm Team said.
The Illinois Department of Public Health released advice to residents looking to protect themselves when air quality is "red."
Here's what they recommend:
- Stay indoors and monitor your breathing, especially if you have heart or lung disease, and keep windows and doors closed.
- If your air conditioner has a fresh air intake, set your system to recirculate or close the intake.
- Use high efficiency filters in air conditioning systems and portable air cleaners.
- Avoid activities that create more particulate matter indoors, like smoking or burning candles.
- If you cannot avoid working or other outdoors activities, choose shorter or less intense activities, considering rescheduling, and take more frequent breaks.
- Consider wearing a high-quality N-95 or N-100 mask while outdoors.
Experts have said health impacts may not show up in symptoms right away.
"Often the presentations will be somewhat delayed. People who've been breathing, say, the smoke or the particles in the air, might show up after one or two or three days of that rather than right away," said Dr. Robert Feldman, an emergency medicine attending in the E.R. at Cook County's Stroger Hospital.
The poor air quality also led the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to declare an "Air Pollution Action Day" for the entire Chicago area, which are issued when widespread ozone or particulate levels are at or above the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" category for multiple days.
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SIGN UP "Active children and adults, especially people with pulmonary or respiratory disease such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor activity," the National Weather Service warned.
Feldman said symptoms may include increased coughing, wheezing or feelings of pressure in your chest.
"If you feel that you're outside and your eyes are burning, then that's probably an indication that the outdoor air quality is bad and it would be better to try and get indoors," he said.
But beyond the health advice, there are some other ways to avoid worsening the air quality in the region.
The Illinois EPA encouraged residents to avoid filling up cars with gas until after sunset, and grouping errands to minimize the number of trips taken. Carpooling and use of public transit are also highly encouraged on high pollution days, the EPA said.
Businesses and residents in the region were urged to reduce air pollution using the following tips from the EPA:
• Limit Driving – combine errands, walk, or bike if possible.
• If driving, avoid idling, consolidate errands, and keep your vehicle and other engines properly tuned.
• Conserve energy to reduce energy demands.
• Use environmentally friendly household and cleaning products.
• Avoid using gasoline-powered equipment like lawnmowers and leaf blowers on Air Pollution Action Days.
• Notify colleagues, friends, and family to help protect their health and encourage actions.
Check the air quality near you
A real-time, interactive map of air quality from AirNow.gov can be found below:
What is the Air Quality Index?
According to officials, the Air Quality Index, or the AQI, is used by the Environmental Protection Agency to communicate to the public air quality levels, and how they can impact day-to-day life.
There are six different levels of air quality, and they’re all color-coded to illustrate changes in quality and how they impact residents.
Typically, anything above 100 is considered to be hazardous to at least some groups, and anything over 150 is considered to be “unhealthy,” posing issues to the general public.
What is PM2.5?
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "PM stands for particulate matter (also called particle pollution): the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air."
"Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye. Others are so small they can only be detected using an electron microscope," the EPA states.
PM2.5 in particular involves "fine inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller." By comparison, the average human hair strand is about 70 micrometers in diameter, or 30 times larger than these particles.
PM2.5 is one of five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act, which also includes ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
