here's what you need to know about air quality and the b.c. wildfires - air cleaner

If the gray smoke over the Vancouver Metro worries you, here are some answers from Vancouver Coast health to some of the tricky questions you have about air quality.
But first, let's start from the beginning.
The gray smoke you see on the Vancouver Metro is due to the high concentration of fine particles caused by the smoke of B. C. wildfires.
Many of these fires are caused by lightning strikes and dry forest conditions.
The smoke will come and go, depending on how serious the wildfire is, what the wind looks like, and whether it's raining recently.
The smoke generated by these fires contains a variety of contaminants, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and trace heavy metals, and varies depending on the type of material burned.
Fine particles, called pm2. 5.
5, consisting of an airborne solid or liquid drop with a diameter of 2.
Below 5 microns.
According to the context, the hair diameter of a person is 70 microns!
These particles are small and can only be seen under an electron microscope. Throughout B. C.
Province-
Manage the air quality measuring station.
Air Quality Health Index (AQHI)
In the ratio of 1 to 10, 1 is the "low risk" end of the ratio and 10 is the "very high risk" end.
It looks like this. .
Everyone's body reacts differently to wildfire smoke, and some people are at higher risk than others.
Some health effects include: putting oxygen in the blood can cause more trouble to your lungs.
Your lungs may be stimulated and cause an immune response, which may also mean inflammation in other parts of your body.
Eye irritation, runny nose, sore throat, slight cough, sputum production, breathing or headache are common.
More serious effects include shortness of breath, severe cough, dizziness, chest pain, or palpitations.
If you go through this, you should go to the doctor or take a walkin clinic.
For healthy people, most health effects should also be removed once the air is cleared.
However, the Vancouver Coast Health Center says there is not much research on longer periods of time
Lasting health effects associated with seasonal wildfire smoke, therefore it is recommended to be cautious before obtaining more scientific information.
But those with health problems, babies, pregnant women and anyone with lung disease should be careful-they are most likely to go through the long term --
Health problems exposed to wildfire smoke.
Those with chronic health conditions or acute diseases are most likely to be stimulated or health affected by air quality.
It can be manifested in physical or mental aspects (ie.
Breathing difficulties or clear thinking).
People with asthma or obstructed lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or mental illness should also be alert to exposure to smoke.
Babies and pregnant women and the fetus are also vulnerable.
Anyone looking after a baby, such as a child care facility, should consider using an air filter or air purifier.
Children should be outdoors when the air quality is not good because their lungs are still developing.
While air quality may not affect you personally, health officials remind the public of family, friends and neighbors who may experience health problems during this time.
The particles in the air are small and it is easy to find a way out at home.
Nevertheless, here are some ways to limit exposure: breathe slowly and drink plenty of water.
The faster you breathe, the more smoke you breathe in.
No matter what you breathe in, drinking water will help wash your body clean.
Limit your time outdoors.
Consider working out in the gym instead of running.
Try to transfer the outdoor activities of the children to the indoor space with cool air.
Use a portable air purifier with HEPA filtration or electrostatic precipitation.
This removes particles that are not needed in the indoor air.
But do your research-the electrostatic dust collector can produce trace amounts of ozone gas that will stimulate some of the lungs.
Families with forced air heating and/or air conditioning can install special filters and different settings to minimize outdoor air volume entering your home.
A day out?
You can go to the library, community center or shopping center for a break.
Most of these places are equipped with air conditioning and air filtration systems.
Please keep windows and air conditioning if you are driving.
Use recycling settings to prevent outdoor air from entering the car through a pipe.
If the respirator has not been used yet, industrial and outdoor workers should consider installing it.
In a, researchers want to show how nanoparticles enter the human body and accumulate in blood flow or arteries.
The study allowed a group of subjects to breathe in the air filled with harmless gold nanoparticles.
Particles can be detected in the subject's blood within a few minutes;
Until three months later, traces of these particles could still be found in the subject's blood and urine.
The second phase of this study requires subjects who are about to undergo surgery to breathe in the same air.
The researchers then found that gold nanoparticles could accumulate in fatty plaques growing inside the arteries.
Although gold particles are harmless, inhalation of harmful nanoparticles may have an impact on your health and are associated with diseases such as cardiovascular diseases.
So yes, the particles can get into your blood.