As wildfires in Quebec continue to burn and stormy weather off the coast of Nova Scotia forces smoke south into the United States, millions of people on the East Coast and beyond — from Syracuse all the way to the Carolinas and as far west as Ohio — are being exposed to hazardous levels of air pollution. “Smoke carries a lot of particulates, and they can range in size,” says Monica Kraft, professor of pulmonology and system chair for the Department of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “If they’re inhaled, depending on the size, they can deposit themselves throughout the lung.” Robert Gillio, a pulmonary critical-care physician, says smoke inhalation can cause coughing, scratchy throat, burning eyes, shortness of breath, headache, fatigue, and even asthma attacks.
For those with preexisting respiratory conditions living in areas affected by prolonged high levels of wildfire smoke, family physician William Lang, chief medical officer at WorldClinic and former director of the White House Medical Unit, says it may be necessary to leave home until the fires are under control or the winds change. Otherwise, according to the doctors we spoke with, the best thing you can do to protect yourself from smoke inhalation is to stay indoors whenever possible. To determine when it’s safe to go outside again, Kraft says you can check your area’s air quality in real time by going to airnow.gov.
Make sure your doors and windows are closed tightly — Reza Ronaghi, a pulmonologist at UCLA Health Santa Monica Medical Center, advises sealing any gaps or cracks with old clothing or duct tape — and consider using an air purifier with HEPA filters to reduce the concentration of harmful smoke particles. According to Kraft, even a well-functioning air conditioner with clean filters can help circulate clean air in your home. It may seem counterintuitive, but Ronaghi says to avoid vacuuming or dusting during this time as you may disrupt settled air particles, causing them to become airborne again. If you do get a cough or are having nasal congestion, Kraft recommends doing a nasal rinse with saline solution in the form of a nasal spray or a NeilMed kit.
If you must go outside, a face mask or respirator can help you avoid inhaling dangerous smoke particles. The masks recommended for preventing the spread of COVID-19 — N95 respirator masks, which are certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to filter out 95 percent of airborne particles and KN95 masks, the Chinese equivalent — are also most effective in protecting against smoke inhalation, according to our experts.
“I’ve asked my patients to wear masks. But sometimes it’s tough to wear a N95 or KN95 when you’re in the throes of an asthma attack, so wear whatever mask feels most comfortable,” Kraft says. And Lang emphasizes that risk reduction, whether in the case of COVID-19 or wildfire smoke, is not an all-or-nothing proposition. “The goal is to reduce risk as much as possible,” he says. “N95 provides the greatest risk reduction, but a good cloth mask with a center filtering layer does still reduce risk substantially.”
That said, according to Ronaghi, smoke particles are one-30th the size of a single strand of hair and can easily slip through the gaps of a fabric face mask. So ideally, you’ll want to choose one with multiple layers of nonwoven filter layers. Below, we’ve rounded up some available N95s and acceptable alternatives.
Best N95 mask
For a NIOSH-approved N95 mask you can likely find online or at a local retailer, the 3M Aura mask is a solid and affordable choice. It offers protection from both smoke and virus particles.
Best KN95 mask
Kraft says the convenience of KN95 masks makes them another good option. “I realize people aren’t wearing masks right now, but if COVID taught us anything, they probably have some at home. I don’t think people necessarily have access to N95s right now, but they did get very used to wearing KN95s,” she says. You’ll just want to be careful which ones you buy. While the FDA initially authorized many different kinds of KN95 masks for emergency use during the pandemic, Lang points out that it later retracted its approval of several brands that failed to meet NIOSH standards. We’ve recommended these Powecom masks in the past because they are distributed by a reputable U.S. company and come in a range of sizes. They are also recommended by Aaron Collins, a Minneapolis-based mechanical engineer with a background in aerosol science who created a comparative guide to children’s masks during the pandemic. Collins’s testing showed that Powecom masks filter out over 95 percent of tiny airborne particles.
Best reusable respirator mask
According to Lang, a respirator mask with a P100 filter is very effective at stopping smoke inhalation (“The P also filters out oil-based particles, which can get through the N respirators to some extent,” he adds). This one is made by 3M and can be used over and over again, but you’ll need to replace the cartridge filters. The life of your filters will depend on the substance that you are trying to filter out and the intensity level of that substance — in this case, smoke. A good rule of thumb, however, is to change the filter if you start to smell strong odors through the filter or if it becomes harder to breathe.
One important note: While the respirator’s exhalation valve makes it easier for the wearer to breathe — a good thing when dealing with hazardous air quality — it renders the mask useless in preventing COVID transmission, as all of the wearer’s respiratory droplets are dispersed outside the mask.
Best KF94 mask
KF94s are another type of high-quality mask we have written about before. Where KN95s are the Chinese equivalent of N95s, KF94s are the South Korean equivalent. Evolvetogether masks are soft against the skin, have a bendable nose strip to help achieve a good fit, and are third party–tested for efficiency. The brand also makes several kid-size masks, some of which come with stickers.
Best KF94 mask for little kids
This KF94 was recommended to us by Strategist writer and mom of two Lauren Ro. According to her, it is the best, most comfortable mask for preschool-age children. It also comes recommended by Collins, who featured it on his mask guide after testing it. For children under 2 years old, who should not wear masks, according to the CDC, staying indoors is the best option during periods of poor air quality.
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