how does seattle's 'worst air quality' compare to beijing? - living air purifier

PORTLAND, Ore.
-This week, the hazy sky covered the Pacific Northwest due to the smoke from the West Coast fire.
Poor air quality led to residents wandering indoors. Experts warn that this could be the new normal in the region.
This week, Seattle's air quality is the worst in the world, because the air quality of Emerald City is even worse than Beijing, which is often considered a barometer of poor air quality around the world.
When the air quality index reaches between 301 and 500, the dangerous reading is "the future," Fortune reported ".
Related: with the California air quality index rising from 0 to 500, clean air rises in smoke.
More numbers mean more air pollution, which adds to concerns about health.
On Wednesday, AQI reached 183 in some communities in Seattle, a figure considered unhealthy for the general population.
Does this mean that Seattle will regularly surpass Beijing on issues of poor air quality?
Landon bosisiio, a communications officer at Seattle's Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, said Don't be too fast.
"Obviously, this is not something we are used to seeing (
The air is worse than Beijing)
But on average, their air is worse than ours . "
"A lot of their bad air comes in winter.
This is a matter of time.
Still, Bosisio admits that poor air quality in the summer-when there is an exponential outbreak and growth trend in wildfires-is likely to continue.
"This is definitely the worst air quality we 've seen since we started measuring 20 years ago," he said . ".
"It's clear that we can't predict the future, and we can't be sure that happens every year, but with climate change, yes, it's becoming an ongoing trend.
Other experts agreed.
"The wide range of smoke from simultaneous fires in most parts of western North America is a game --
Changing the way we think and respond to the effects of the fire, "said John abatzoglu, a climate scientist at the University of Idaho.
Abatzoglou noted that recent studies predict that an increase in wildfire activity will result in an increase in the annual "smoke wave.
Smoke wave is a term that describes air for two or more days in a row, which contains tiny, potentially harmful particles that can travel hundreds of miles away from realityAir-
This week, high quality experts and doctors were highly requested as locals questioned whether they were safe outside.
Although it is easy to feel helpless under the control of nature, Bosisio and others say that everyone can take some measures to reduce the risk of health problems.
"Stay indoors, limit strenuous activity, close the windows and run the air conditioner," Bosisio said . ".
"If you don't have air conditioning, try to find a public place like a library or a community center where the air will be fresher.
It's really time to check in with your neighbors, especially the ones with children, or older relatives, to make sure they're doing a good job.
Maybe invite them over if you have air conditioning so they can get some clean air as well.
"Don't rush out to buy air purifiers or masks --
These are often a waste of money.
The air purifier produces ozone when cleaning the air, which is also harmful to your health.
Masks may look cool, but that's all they do.
Jennifer Flint, chief public information officer at Oregon's environmental quality department, said that while masks are often easy to buy, they often don't help.
"The message we get from the health authorities is that most masks are not working and give a false sense of security," Flynt said . ". Dr.
Gopal Allada, Associate Professor, Department of lung and critical care, medical school, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, said that people who want to wear masks need to look for P-100 or N-95 variety.
The masks are "worn by people who work in pollution, so they are fitted, comfortable, and suitable to block particles that can go deep into the lungs," Allada said . ".
They also look more impressive than anything you buy in bulk at your local grocery store.
Allada reminds the elderly, children, pregnant women and anyone with lung disease to stay at home as much as possible.
He pointed out that in the Pacific Northwest, strenuous exercise such as running or strenuous hiking is a popular activity that allows people to breathe faster and deeper.
"People who live in the Pacific Northwest, we like to be outdoors," says Bosisio . ".
"This is the purpose of our real life-we have endured rain, wet and cold in these three glorious months.
It's not cool when smoke comes out of us.
"Special attention must be paid to pregnant women.
In a variety of observational studies, Allada said expectant mothers who are often exposed to poor air quality tend to give birth to children who are underweight, prematurely, and sometimes "asthma events increase.
"When government organizations say air quality is not good, people need to listen and stay indoors," Allada said . ".
Luckily, it was easy to live in know.
You can download the air quality index app to your phone and update your readings regularly on the national website.
Flynt, DEQ, Oregon, said there is currently a conversation about whether DEQ should move the display to a new location to get better data for the public.
"We often tell people that a minute can be bad and the next minute can be good, so you need to check the situation regularly," Flynt said . ".
If someone is unable to use a computer or a smartphone, she recommends using 5-3-
1 rule: Air quality is generally good if you can see it in more than 5 miles.
If visibility is less than three miles, it is usually unhealthy and can deteriorate.
Stay in if visibility is less than a mile.
For those interested in comparing the air quality of Mother Nature to the consequences of cigarettes, there is an app "S *!
"I smoke", which uses real-time pollution data to calculate the equivalent amount of "smoking" for a person in bad air.