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| photo credit: AirNow |
How's the atmosphere where you live? Is it hazy? Smoky?
Here in west Michigan we're experiencing hazy, fog-like atmosphere. Some days, we can even smell smoke. Thanks to the wildfires in Canada.
Poor air quality used to be "normal" close to factories. Or around campfires. Even in our homes from second-hand smoke. This summer we're seeing poorer air quality than normal.
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| image credit: AirNow |
Why does it matter? We all breathe air. The pollutants in the air gets drawn into our lungs, from there to the rest of our bodies. It hits some people harder than others. Those with asthma, heart disease, and other issues are affected, dangerously so, when the quality of the air is poor.
Coughing, irritation in the throat, chest tightness, wheezing, shortness of breath, and eye irritation are some symptoms of how our bodies react to poor air quality.
We can take some precautions when the air is polluted. Stay indoors as much as possible, wear a mask if you must go out. Older people and children are more susceptible to health problems caused by air pollution. It's no time to send the kids outside to play. Try to keep the air in your house as clean as possible. No fireplace fires, gas logs, even candles. Don't vacuum as it stirs up particles already in the house. Keep the windows closed and run the air conditioner, if you have one. Most importantly, if you have health issues and your symptoms worsen, check with your doctor.
Pay attention to news reports about the air quality in your area. We can't do anything about the wildfires bringing smoke into our area, but we can be proactive.
Stay healthy.
For more info, visit airnow.gov
6 comments:
Michigan looks like a scene from the Fog horror movie. Yesterday, even the neighbor's yard was obscured. Creepy. And dangerous. And NOT to be taken lightly. Thankfully, we have rain coming in this weekend that will water my neglected plants and maybe clean things up a bit. But as for me, it's to the basement to binge watch!
Rain sounds good. Everything around here is turning brown. Binge-watching is a good idea.
Yeah, it's not great here. It varies from day to day, and even hour to hour. I was surprised the other day at how quickly the air quality deteriorated after it rained. Over here in Ontario, I use a combination of AccuWeather for exact readings of particulates and gases in the air, and http://www.airqualityontario.com/aqhi/index.php for general levels. We can't always see the particulates here, but some of the images of Toronto reminded me of the limited series, Black Knight. It's fabulous, if you're looking for something to binge watch! ;)
In SC, we've had a lot of rain. Today, the sky is blue. The air has been clear. I'm in the Upstate.
Living as close to Lake Michigan as we do, it's been hard to tell if it's smoke or fog from the lake, but the smell in the air says it's definitely smoke. It's sad for those who must work outside; farm workers, road crews, utility repair people, etc. I'm thankful I can stay inside, but not everyone has that option. Rather like the way it was during the Covid pandemic. :(
We've been dealing with the fog/smoke from the fires most of the prior week. It's finally clearing up but we've also gotten lots of rain the last few days. So we've spent much more time indoors.
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