We have another Air Quality Alert Day Wednesday here in Southeast Lower Michigan.
Health experts once again are warning us to stay indoors and run an air filtration system to reduce exposure, especially for people with sensitive respiratory systems like those with asthma and senior citizens.
It was less than two weeks ago, Detroit had the second worst air quality in the world according to the EPA’s Air Quality Alert Index. Smoke from over 440 wildfires burning in Eastern Canada caused a thick haze to blanket parts of Southeast Lower Michigan. But how harmful is smoke from wildfires? And what do these multiple air quality alerts mean for our lungs?
First let’s talk about air pollution. Particle pollution is a mix of liquid and solid particles that are in the air we breathe. This could be dust, mold, combustion particles, even human hair and beach sand. And as we’ve recently seen here in Southeast Lower Michigan, smoke. When levels of these particles are high the air becomes opaque or hazy. Who can forget this image of New York just a couple of weeks ago.
This picture not only looks scary, it is a bit scary when it comes to our health.
A 2020 study by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment found that breathing in smoke from wildfires that raised the AQI to 150 for several days is equivalent to smoking seven cigarettes a day. And children are at an even higher risk, according to pediatrician Lisa Patel, because their airways are even smaller, making any inflammation more difficult.
Particle pollution has other harmful effects ranging from lung function to heart attacks, COPD and some studies even link air pollution to an increased risk of dementia.
If you’re still with me here after all this doom and gloom, just know there are things we can do to protect ourselves and improve air quality in the future.
Try not to fuel your car on Air Quality Alert days or use a gas powered lawn mower. While biking to work might not be an option, maybe carpooling will work for you.
Inside your home, changing your furnace filter and investing in an air purifier are two great ways to improve the air you and your family are breathing.