Updated 5/8/2024
The problem at hand impacts more than the West Coast. Winds carry wildfire smoke in to Canada, and over all northern states. This likely impacts your too.
With fires an ever present event in the Anthropocene it's important to be ready with True HEPA and carbon filters ready to go when smoke is in the air. When smoke is in the air supplies go fast!
Remember: Lung damage is cumulative! For everyone. Especially from ash cuz it's not just trees. It's homes, electronic wiring in homes, and the industrial chemicals found in homes such as paint thinner, automotive and automotive maintenance, in addition to any number of caustic chemicals from triple-A batteries to zinc-ion and literally everything in between.
Here's Dr. Zachary Rubin, pediatric allergist/clinical immunologist practicing in the western suburbs of Chicago, explaining how wildfire smoke impacts our health from a TikTok posted June 2023. He also calls attention to a narrative shift towards health disinformation aimed at downplaying smoke related dangers that we should all note.
Reduced exposure is always best. And smoke damage is reversible! But that reversion takes years to conclude so how about not going through that, eh? (See: Cumulative and reversible effects of lifetime smoking on simple tests of lung function in adults 10.1164/ajrccm/137.2.286) Even Benjamin Franklin understood “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Remember too: air pollution is worse in homes. Per the World Health Organization indoor smoke can have levels of fine particles 100 times higher than acceptable. Exposure is particularly high among women and children, who spend the most time near the domestic hearth.
As such it's important to filter out these contaminants using the best available equipment.
TrueHEPA certified is best! But-- sometimes True HEPA is best-available. Know the difference between all the different marketing terms here at this archived IAQ dot works link: https://web.archive.org/web/20220809012559/https://iaq.works/filtration/how-do-true-hepa-filters-compare-to-hepa/
Speaking as someone with asthma and severe allergies to most of the natural world I know a thing or two about smoke proofing ones home and cleaning irritants out of the air I breath. Especially pre-made filters and filters on a budget. Especially after working outside in the smoke during the 2016/ 2017 fire season. While it's always possible to build ones own Corsi-Rosenthal Box (DIY your own box fan air filter here)-- this is not an option for everyone. Sometimes it's space considerations. Sometimes it's lack of time. Sometimes folks like me who want a quieter solution.
For those seeking premade solutions I have two suggestions. Both come with their filters preinstalled so it's plug and play (in this wonderful hellscape we persist in):
The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH(W) True HEPA typically carries an MSRP of $229.99. Sometimes you catch a deal like the day this is updated (5/8/2024): It's currently $73 off. Additionally- units with other colors can be cheaper depending on supply in circulation.
This one is louder than the other cheaper option I'll share below but it provides better air circulation. Great for those who seal up air gaps tightly with plastic weather sheeting/ insulator kits like these. Protip: If you live in a home in the San Francisco Bay Area built before 1965ish you'll likely want that sheeting too. (Here's the link again. Speaking from experience get more than you need. Especially for first time installation.) The apartments and homes built before then are for a climate which no longer exists anymore. With west facing windows on long days heat gets trapped so that extra air circulation provided by the Airmega AP-1512HH helps a great deal.
The Coway has excellent coverage. It's graded for 361 square feet. Mine serves a room roughly 168 square feet.
There's also a pollution sensor that communicates air quality in real time using a color grading system. I cover mine cuz it's bright- but it is useful. A sliver peaks out from beneath a quarter that's the perfect size and shape to fully cover it if desired. There is an air pollution setting to modulate speed settings in real time. I turn it off because it sounds like a tornado suddenly appeared in my room that's a little disconcerting during sleep.
The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH uses two kinds of filters: True HEPA filter + carbon filter, yes they do need to be used together. Carbon filters typically wear out faster so purchasing more carbon filters is normal. $43.99 MSRP
Replacements for both types of Airmega filters can be found here at the Coway store: The filter set is by far the best deal including 1 HEPA filter + 2 carbon filters. MSRPing at $43.99 (On 5/8/2024 Amazon is claiming it's 32% off... from $59.99 to $40.53. Neat trick)
The Vornado AC350 Air Purifier cost $100 when I got mine on the way back to the bay area in 2018 after a brief vacation beyond the smoke plumes 100 miles away in a cute little haunted hotel. (The first and last time I could use money to insulate me from the problems of the world. It was fun while it lasted.) The Vornado AC350 Air Purifier MSRP is $149.99 however on the day of updating (5/8/2024) it's on special for $119.99.
My first one has been in near continuous use for almost 6 years yet this air filter still runs marvelously! Buying yours now is a hedge against inflation! Or stagflation. Or greedflation. Whatever the economists are calling it these days; all I know is numbers in my bank account go down while profits continue up! It's a marvelous system we live under!
The Vornado AC350 is quieter than the Coway Airmega. This is the reason why I have three. It has the same two-step filtration system as the Coway utilizing both True HEPA + Carbon Filters. And when set to high it works fast getting circulation going in any room it's in.
The Vornado AC350 is graded for 220 square feet. Mine serves less than 168 square feet. But the great thing about the Vornado line is it comes in two sizes with interchangeable filters. The second size (Vornado AC550) is for larger rooms.
Vornado AC550 is twice the height and graded for 335 square feet. It's also twice the price with a regular MSRP of $229.99. I purchased two of these for my parents home. They were using candles to remove ash from the air- fun fact! Candles add ash to the air. Sure, it might mask the smell but that folk solution doesn't work.
I purchased a third for my kitchen.
Replacement filters for both the Vornado AC350 and AC550 come in either packs or separately so you can get exactly what you need. I suggest the name branded ones. While they are slightly pricier they're durable and worth the expense due to their long service life.
Let me know how it goes.
While you're waiting for delivery might I suggest the dulcimer tones of The Night Blooms Slow Decline?
Be sure to check out their bandcamp too. The whole EP is a joy.
Oh, yes, and don't forget about wearing a well-fitting n95 or p100 respirator.
Scene//
Me: 2016. AQI above 100 for weeks. Wearing a p100 respirator on Bay Area Rapid Transit because I know lung damage from smoke is cumulative. And how smoke contains more than just wood ash (paint thinner & other common caustic cleaners in people's garages now consumed by flame).
Them: Fellow passengers looking at me weird.
Me:
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