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It doesn’t take long if you’re out in this smoke to feel it in your chest.
Unfortunately for residents of the Bay Area, it’s becoming routine around this time of year. The problem with this wildfire smoke is the cloth face masks we’ve gotten used to won’t help, unless you add a filter that can screen particles as small as 2.5 micrometers.
"Your average human hair is about 70 micrometers in diameter," Dr. Sharon Chinthrajah of Stanford Health Care told KCBS Radio. "So, (that’s) 30 times larger than the largest fine particle of 2.5. So, we really want to make sure that we’re filtering out these fine particles if you have to be outside. The best is to be inside, close your windows, etc. Even then, in some of these old buildings in the Bay Area, the ventilation systems are not ideal."
Don't go out in it, even if you see other people running, cycling, playing tennis or golf.
We all want to go outside after being shut in for so long, but try waiting it out just a couple days, we should get some relief by mid-week.
"We’re pretty much in this for the long haul as far as getting these fires completely contained" Roger Goss of the National Weather Service said. "I would anticipate conditions getting a little bit better in the next few days and as long we don’t see any flareups in those fires, we should see conditions improve slightly. Of course, with the fires ongoing, there will also be a little bit of smoke in the atmosphere."
The Bay Area remains under a Spare The Air Alert through Wednesday.
Try using sealant or caulk to cover small openings around windows or doors. Also, be sure to put your air conditioner on "recirculate" in both your home and vehicle.
Don't forget, we still have the really bad fire months of September and October yet to come.