Don't burn any wood in or around your home on high air pollution days.
Air quality is no laughing matter. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution was responsible for about seven million deaths around the globe in 2012, leading to heart attacks, strokes and other serious health issues. The Director of the WHO's Department for Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, Dr. Maria Neira, has been quoted as saying that, "The risks from air pollution are now far greater than previously thought or understood, particularly for heart disease and strokes. Few risks have a greater impact on global health today than air pollution; the evidence signals the need for concerted action to clean up the air we all breathe."
Here are a few ways to protect yourself and your family from air pollution:
- Check the air pollution forecasts in your area. You can access forecast data through local radio and news stations, online at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s website, or through the American Lung Association's "State of the Air" app.
- When air pollution levels are high, stay indoors if at all possible, and if you must go outside, don't walk or run along busy streets, as the concentration of pollutants will be higher there.
- Stop burning wood. Many state agencies issue burn bans when air quality is particularly bad, but starting your own personal burn ban can be useful for reducing the concentration of particulate matter in your air at home.
- Carpool or take public transportation. Every trip made by each individual car only adds more pollution to the atmosphere. For the sake of your area's air quality and the Earth's overall health, carpooling or taking the bus or the train during periods of high air pollution is wise.
- Purchase a home air purifier from US Air Purifiers. Having clean air to come home to each day is a great help in overcoming the effects of air pollution.