IQAir Provides Health Tips for Residents That Suffer From Poor Air Quality During Wildfires
27 October 2003 - 8:51PM
PR Newswire (US)
IQAir Provides Health Tips for Residents That Suffer From Poor Air
Quality During Wildfires How to Protect Yourself From Poor Air
Quality During Wildfires LOS ANGELES, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ --
Wildfires produce millions of tiny pollution particles, in the form
of smoke. Concentrations of fine particulates in much of Los
Angeles and Orange County are reaching levels which are up to 100
times higher than those on even the smoggiest days. To combat this
serious health threat, health officials are advising the population
to stay inside and keep doors and windows closed. While this helps
to keep some of smoke out, the small particles from the smoke will
eventually still make their way indoors, through cracks and gaps in
the building. The following tips will help you to create a "clean
zone" in your home during heavy outdoor smoke from wildfires. 1.
After closing doors and windows, use duct tape and plastic sheeting
to seal cracks around the doors and outside vents. 2. Replace your
furnace filter with a high-efficiency filter upgrade. These are
available from most hardware and home improvement stores and cost $
10-20. 3. Run your air conditioning system. You can run the fan
only, if you are comfortable with the temperature. Constantly
cycling the air through you air conditioning system with upgraded
air filters, will remove some of the air pollutants. 4. Don't run
your bathroom exhaust fans, since this will cause more polluted
outside air to be drawn into the home. 5. Create a safe-room within
your house with the help of a room air cleaner with a HEPA filter.
This will be the room where particularly sensitive members of your
family, those with emphysema, allergies or asthma can retreat to.
Room air cleaners with HEPA filters are available through specialty
retailers and can be purchased over the internet. Expect to pay
about $600 for a good HEPA room air cleaner. 6. Do not use air
purifiers such as the IonicBreeze from Sharper Image or the
Ecologizer from Honeywell. Consumer Reports has found these devices
to be ineffective in their October 2003 test. 7. If you do have to
go outside, you may want to wear a fine dust mask, as is available
though home improvement stores. These masks will typically sell for
$5-40. If you do not have access to a mask you may use a wet cloth
to breathe through. Do not use the simple surgical masks, as used
by doctors, they are ineffective against small smoke particles. You
can contact Frank Hammes with further questions at 562-903-7600 or
. Frank Hammes, President of IQAir North America, Inc., is an
expert on air quality and air quality control measures. He lectures
and trains indoor air quality professionals on ways to help
residents create healthier indoor environments during natural
disasters such as wildfires. DATASOURCE: IQAir North America, Inc.
CONTACT: Frank Hammes, President of IQAir North America, Inc.,
+1-562-903-7600, Web site: http://www.iqair.com/
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