I live in a senior community. I am lucky enough to live in one of 12 duplexes on a lovely landscaped street with five of the houses (not mine) facing a lovely Oregon river. I really like my house but there is a downside. As I sit in my Stressless recliner chair not only does watching MSNBC increase my stress, but looking out my own window has been doing the same thing because a group of residents meet outside just across from my house every afternoon and I can see when, even wearing masks, they sometimes they stand closer than the 6 foot presumed safe distance.
I have the impulse to go out scold them. Succumbing to this authoritarian tendency doesn’t make me popular. This is the old auxiliary cop in me (I was one for 20 years — photo) and is not one of my admirable personality characteristics when it emerges in situations where some people think I am scolding them or am a know-it-all. I try to restrain it now that I don't have to give people traffic tickets or arrest them for drunk driving. In Houston police fine people $250 for not wearing a mask, and in Miami there’s a $100 fine, and other city police departments are doing the same. I’d be inclined to issue a written warning. It would be interesting to hear the reasons people gave for not wearing a mask, although I’ve seen clips of some of them when maskless people are interviewed on TV calling Covid-19 a Democratic hoax. I’d be sorely tempted to write those people a ticket. I think that would backfire and hardened their resentment.
I would be saying to myself “chill Hal, empathy, empathy….”
Since the wildfires have put us in the extremely unsafe zone (labeled “beyond:) I have seen a number of folks continuing to meet and enjoy socializing. I recognize that this is a way to satisfy a healthy need for emotional interpersonal connection to break the social isolation from months of pandemic.
This morning the air quality went from merely hazardous (below) to what it is this morning (primary illustration above — beyond the chart).
Yesterday
We are a diverse group of mostly liberal and highly educated residents. These are very smart people. Their career accomplishments are impressive.
Our management has been trying to get the message out that the air quality is dangerous to our health and everyone should as much as possible stay inside. I don't know who has been keeping up on the dangerous of breathing this smokey air even for a short time and just don’t think it will harm them or whether they just haven’t been
I am by temperament what my parents would have called a buttinsky.I can be a scold. This trait hasn’t always endeared me to some people.
Obviously inhaling wildfire smoke isn’t nearly as dangerous as breathing in Covid-19. But it is still still harmful.
I have posted this List of Dangers of inhaling smoke at my peril on one of the resident Facebook pages ...........…
I did a web search and found these references.
Excerpt:
Inhaling smoke during recent California wildfires raised the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests up to 70%, according to a new study. Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart abruptly stops beating properly and can no longer pump blood to vital organs throughout the body.
Researchers found that inhaling the tiny toxic particles in heavy smoke increased cardiac arrests in both men and women, particularly in people 35 and older and in communities with lower socioeconomic status.
"Particulate matter from smoke that is inhaled can penetrate deeply into the lungs, and very small particles may cross into the bloodstream. These particles can create an inflammatory reaction in the lungs and throughout the body," Ana G. Rappold, one of the study's authors, said in a news release. Rappold is a research scientist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment in the Office of Research and Development.
"The body's defense system may react to activate the fight-or-flight system, increasing heart rate, constricting blood vessels and increasing blood pressure. These changes can lead to disturbances in the heart's normal rhythm, blockages in blood vessels and other effects creating conditions that could lead to cardiac arrest."
According to the World Air Quality Index project:
Unhealthy air quality, with an index of 151-200, means everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
Very unhealthy air quality, with an index of 201-300, means health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected. Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid all outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit outdoor exertion.
Hazardous air quality, with an index of more than 300, means health alert where everyone may experience more serious health effects...Although wildfire smoke is different from air pollution caused by traffic or industry, it is also harmful to human health.
Reference
- Smoky air makes it harder for your lungs to get oxygen into your blood.
- Wildfire smoke can irritate your respiratory system and cause an immune response, which may lead to inflammation that affects other parts of your body.
- Common symptoms include eye irritation, runny nose, sore throat, mild cough, phlegm production, wheezy breathing, or headaches. Such symptoms can usually be managed without medical attention.
- Some people may have more severe symptoms, such as shortness of breath, severe cough, dizziness, chest pain, or heart palpitations. You should seek prompt medical attention if you experience any of these symptoms.
- Smoky air may increase risk of some infections, such as pneumonia in older people and ear infections in children.
..............
Wildfire smoke is a mix of gases and fine particles from burning vegetation, building materials, and other materials. Wildfire smoke can make anyone sick. Even someone who is healthy can get sick if there is enough smoke in the air. Breathing in smoke can have immediate health effects, including:
- Coughing
- Trouble breathing normally
- Stinging eyes
- A scratchy throat
- Runny nose
- Irritated sinuses
- Wheezing and shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Headaches
- An asthma attack
- Tiredness
- Fast heartbeat
- Older adults, pregnant women, children, and people with preexisting respiratory and heart conditions may be more likely to get sick if they breathe in wildfire smoke.
- Wildfire Smoke Can Affect High Risk Groups
Eight Tips for Protecting Yourself from Breathing Wildfire Smoke
- If possible, limit your exposure to smoke. Here are eight tips to help you protect your health:
- Pay attention to local air quality reports and the US Air Quality IndexExternal . When a wildfire occurs in your area, watch for news or health warnings about smoke. Pay attention to public health messages and take extra safety measures such as avoiding spending time outdoors.
- Pay attention to visibility guides if they are available. Although not every community measures the amount of particles in the air, some communities in the western United States have guidelines to help people estimate air quality based on how far they can see.
- If you are told to stay indoors, stay indoors and keep your indoor air as clean as possible. Keep windows and doors closed unless it is very hot outside. Run an air conditioner if you have one, but keep the fresh-air intake closed and the filter clean to prevent outdoor smoke from getting inside. Seek shelter elsewhere if you do not have an air conditioner and it is too warm to stay inside with the windows closed.
- Use an air filter. Use a freestanding indoor air filter with particle removal to help protect people with heart disease, asthma or other respiratory conditions and the elderly and children from the effects of wildfire smoke. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on filter replacement and where to place the device.
- Do not add to indoor pollution. When smoke levels are high, do not use anything that burns, such as candles and fireplaces. Do not vacuum, because vacuuming stirs up particles already inside your home. Do not smoke tobacco or other products, because smoking puts even more pollution into the air.
- Follow your doctor’s advice about medicines and about your respiratory management plan if you have asthma or another lung disease or cardiovascular disease. Call your doctor if your symptoms worsen.
- Do not rely on dust masks for protection. Paper “comfort” or “dust” masks commonly found at hardware stores trap large particles, such as sawdust. These masks will not protect your lungs from smoke. An “N95” mask, properly worn, will offer some protection. If you decide to keep a mask on hand, see the Respirator Fact Sheet provided by CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
- Avoid smoke exposure during outdoor recreation. Wildfires and prescribed burns—fires that are set on purpose to manage land—can create smoky conditions. Before you travel to a park or forest, check to see if any wildfires are happening or if any prescribed burns are planned. Image was form this morning.
Here’s another good reference:
What You Should Know About Air Quality Alerts
I live to the left of where it says Milwaukie-Portland Elks Lodge in the upper left corner of the county. The green is get ready, below is get set, get is go immediately. Fortunately two of the cities that were in the yellow area last night moved into the green area.
This is from my window at 9:30 AM.
Sunday, Sep 13, 2020 · 8:56:47 PM +00:00
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HalBrown
It’s too late to get one of these respirator masks unless you want to go to a store that has them. I got the no. 1 rated O2 mask (from Canada 6 weeks ago because it is good for Covid. It is expensive as masks go at $70. Now I have it for when I go to the dentist tomorrow.
It has an electrostatic filter that lasts 10 day before you have to replace it.