It's time to get wildfire smoke ready

After a lovely cool spring and a slow start to summer, things are finally heating up and fire season is coming. Already, there have been wildfires in Washington, Oregon, and California, and some around Montana. As fire danger increases, the likelihood of seeing smoke increases, too. That means it's time to get smoke ready.

Why do we care so much about smoke? For those of us who've lived through past fire seasons, we know what it means when smoke arrives. The air physically feels different. It makes our eyes sting and throats burn.

Wildfire smoke is a chemical stew and it's laden with fine particulate matter and volatile organic chemicals. These components can cause many health effects, ranging from less severe (irritated eyes and nose, headaches, coughing) to more severe (reduced lung function, worsened asthma attacks and COPD symptoms, increased likelihood of heart attack and stroke, increased susceptibility to infectious disease and increased hospitalizations and deaths). The most harmful ingredient in smoke is fine particulate matter 2.5 microns in diameter and smaller, or PM 2.5. PM 2.5 in wildfire smoke is often less than one micron in diameter. The particles are so tiny they can travel deep into your respiratory tract and even pass into the bloodstream, initiating a systemic inflammatory response. While smoke is bad for everyone, children, teenagers, older adults, pregnant people, people with heart and lung disease and people who can't avoid exposures, such as outdoor workers and people living outside, are at greater risk of health impacts. That's a lot of people. Add on reduced visibility and gloomy skies, and summer starts to feel really short.

For those who can go indoors when smoke rolls in, that's a great first step to protect your health. Unfortunately, smoke still makes its way inside our homes and businesses. It enters via doors, windows, cracks and vents, and is delivered inside by commercial HVAC systems. The longer a smoke event drags on, the more likely smoke will move indoors.

Happily, the fine particles in smoke can be filtered from indoor air.

Here's how we can all take measures to protect ours and our loved ones' healths when smoke rolls in:

1. Stay alert for changing conditions. Check local air quality monitors online at fire.airnow.gov and check often. Look outside; if you can't see five miles, the air quality is unhealthy.

2. Reduce outdoor activity levels. The more physically active you are, the more air, and therefore smoke, you'll breathe in. Slow your roll a bit to cut some of your exposure and be creative with ways to stay active inside clean indoor spaces.

3. Clean your indoor air! There are several ways to clean your air, but they all come down to filtration. Also, be sure to keep your indoors cool. Heat is immediately dangerous to you and your family. If you don't have air conditioning, that may mean opening your windows at night and letting smoky air inside. Once your home has cooled, close doors and windows and filter the indoor air.

a. Use HEPA portable air cleaners (PACs). Have at least one PAC and keep it in the room where you spend the most time. Make sure the PAC uses a true HEPA filter, doesn't generate ozone and is sized appropriately for the room it's in. If it's in a large room, you'll need a pretty beefy PAC or more than one. Close doors and windows to that room and run the PAC on the highest setting you find tolerable. Be sure to replace the filter when it gets dirty. You may need to change it more often than recommended during a smoke event.

b. Make your own air cleaner with a box fan and furnace filter. Got a newer box fan lying around and some duct tape? Use it to clean your indoor air! Get a high efficiency HVAC filter (ideally MERV 13), attach the filter on the back of the box fan and you're set. A basic DIY fan/filter is good for a room that's 150-200 square feet; use a four inch-thick filter to cover approximately 300 square feet. Check out http://www.montanawildfiresmoke.org for more information on how to build your own air cleaner. For safety, only use fans manufactured since 2012. Also, note fan/filters are noisier than commercial PACs.

c. For whole house filtration, upgrade the HVAC filter in your central air handler. Select the highest efficiency filter your home HVAC system can handle (ideally MERV 13, but MERV 11/12 will still help). Keep the fan running for continuous cleaning. Note that some central air systems may not be able to use high efficiency filters. If this is the case, use HEPA PACs or DIY fan/filters to clean your indoor air.

d. For commercial HVAC systems (such as rooftop units used by schools and businesses), it isn't as simple as upgrading the filter, although that's an important first step. Commercial HVAC systems have a lot of moving parts and functions that can let smoke indoors. Operators should follow ASHRAE's "Planning Framework for Protecting Commercial Building Occupants During Smoke Events'' found on our website: http://www.montanawildfiresmoke.org.

4. Consider using a respirator. N95 respirators are best, but a KN95 will also reduce your exposure if it fits to your face and provides a good seal. Note that N95s do not come in children's sizes and facial hair can prevent a good seal. Do not use a respirator if you have trouble breathing through it.

5. Be fire safe! Do your part to avoid human-caused fires. Make sure campfires are cool to the touch before leaving them, make sure you aren't dragging chains on the road and don't flick cigarette butts into dry grass. Find more information at http://www.mcfpa.org.

Above all, don't despair. Yes, fire season is on its way and smoke is an unfortunate part of most summers. But snow will fly, and skies will clear. In the meantime, we know how to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy. For now, stock up on filters and breathe safe.