If wildfire smoke is polluting the air where you live, you might want to consider wearing a mask outside to protect your health.
There aren’t hard and fast rules about when you should wear one. But generally speaking, you may want to mask up if the Air Quality Index — which reflects the density of five pollutants — is over 200. That level of pollution is unhealthy for anyone.
If the A.Q.I. is between 100 and 200, and you’re at higher risk of health problems from air pollution, you may also want a mask outdoors. Those with asthma, diabetes, or kidney, heart or lung disease, are considered at higher risk.
Choose a tight-fitting N95 mask that can help filter out tiny particles. Surgical or cloth masks are not nearly as effective.
Some parts of the country are seeing an A.Q.I. as high as 500 today, a level that health officials have deemed “hazardous.” Experts said you should try to avoid going outside at all if the air quality is that poor.
The post Do I Need to Wear a Mask if There’s Wildfire Smoke in the Air? appeared first on New York Times.
