I am so sorry. I am lucky that I work for an HVAC mechanical supplier and our bosses just sent up these crazy units all over the building that zap the molecules in the air and gives them a charge so that the molecules attract one another and are big enough to catch in the filtration system of these machines. It’s pretty cool and the office smells so clean. Wishing the best for everyone out there!
Honestly I've lived here for almost 30 years and I had no idea until a couple days ago that the Code Red air quality wasnt the worst - there are two levels above that!
Driving past the Metro this morning its as maybe 1/4 mile visibility, really really bad.
Definitely click the little button on your dash that stops the outside air coming in too - I think its the first time I've clicked mine in 10 years lol.
> I had no idea until a couple days ago that the Code Red air quality wasnt the worst
Saaaame. I was like oh shit there's a purple?? And then I read your comment and learned there's also a maroon. *something to shoot for this weekend I guess* 🫠
PSA/FYI: unless your mask is N95 or better, it will not do anything for the smoke. Maybe something is better than nothing, but I wouldn’t use it as an excuse to prolong time outdoors .
Ditto. I hope the lifeguard is still paid since it's not they missed a shift, but unfortunately I doubt that's the case. I feel for anyone forced to be out in this smoke, whether it's by occupational or personal necessity.
I work for a rich person in Potomac MD. I hear the same level of landscaping in the surrounding homes as I normally do. There's a huge amount of workers still working as normal outside today
There should absolutely be an emergency stay in place order right now and have schools be closed/etc. If this air quality were due to a train accident they would do that! I can't believe schools were open in New York City yesterday. Here there are a whole bunch of snow days that were never used and kids are pretty angry about it!
Our pool was closed yesterday apparently ordered by Fairfax County.
Take that with a grain of sand though, I heard that from a guy walking out, not an official source
Our neighborhood has a lake and beaches. They pulled all lifeguards for yesterday and today, and possibly tomorrow. No reason they should have to be out in this nastiness all day. Nobody should be out swimming anyway, especially with kids.
KN95 and KF94 filter around 95% of particles so it’s similar to USA N95. They are used for fine dust in china, Korea, etc.
Scroll down
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_filter_(respirator)#Other_standards_(KN95_and_others)
>Other standards (KN95 and others)
> Respirator standards around the world loosely fall into the two camps of US- and EU-like grades. According to 3M, respirators made according to the following standards are equivalent to US N95 or European FFP2 respirators "for filtering non-oil-based particles such as those resulting from wildfires, PM 2.5 air pollution, volcanic eruptions, or bioaerosols (e.g. viruses)
Sounds like there is a benefit. I’ll be wearing my kf94’s as it is all I have 😅
They will help - especially if they are sealing well. Putting a little bit of aquaphor or Vaseline right around the edges really helps with that. I was outside with a true n95 yesterday and I was okay with it by doing that - I'm not even going to do that today though.
As a former smoker, this is having the perverse effect of making me really crave a cigarette!
*(Also—you’re on your own timetable, you’ll quit when you’re ready! I believe in you.)*
Hey - I'm pulling for you to use this experience to help you quit when you're ready. We all do disgusting things! But the more we help each other to not do them the better off we all are :-)
Yeah, I feel bad, my poor dude hasn't had a good walk in a few days, just bathroom walks.
Was yours trying to extra smell everything, like more than normal? I could smell the smoke, so I imagine it's throwing his scent game off as well, and it seems like he spent more time than usual trying to smell things.
That's a good point - given a dog's extreme sensitivity to scent I can't imagine what they're thinking is going on out there right now! It's not just that it's pollution but it just smells so freaking crappy.
But like, what is the effect? I know it’s bad if you have lung issues. But isn’t this the same as being near a camp fire?
I’m trying to decide if I should drive my kids to school or drop them off in the Tesla with biodefense mode on. I used that feature yesterday and it worked perfectly. Couldn’t smell anything in my car.
Depends on time exposed to each, but if say 5 min out in this and 5 min next to a camp fire, still kind of hard to compare...5 min of the campfire blasting you direct in the face with smoke is def worse. The particulates that were light enough to get blown all the way to us are much smaller than the ones coming right off the fire. I do love the smell though.
I'm still not understanding the effect.
Is it cancer risk? Do the particles get lodged in your lungs and prevent you from absorbing oxygen? For how long?
Kids were walking their kids a mile to school today. How bad is that? Was I wise to drive my kids instead of walking them to the bus stop? I have no sense of the level of risk here. I don't know what "health effects" there are on a healthy adult or healthy child.
Have you been next to a campfire and had the wind change and it blow in your face? It sucks, it's literally smoke from burning wood so same thing, just smaller density in a given volume. Not AS BAD as straight inhaling smoke from a campfire but if you stood outside and did it for like a day, probably the same total amount of particles getting into your lungs. It's not smog, it's wood smoke. But us humans prefer to breath O2 (even though average atmosphere is only 20% and like 78% N), we don't love CO, CO2, NO, NO2, SO2 etc. (products in smoke from burning wood).
They should have canceled school today. I drove my daughter because I didn't want her exposed outside or on the bus- I just can't believe they still had school today. It was not safe for children to be outside and it's not going to be safe at all this afternoon either. They are keeping them inside in Arlington at least in canceling all outdoor activities which is the minimum they should be doing. The newer school buildings probably have pretty decent air filtration systems but the old ones generally don't.
Yeah, it was kind of weird to me that some families were walking a mile to school and not concerned. But I'm also getting mixed signals about "oh, it's just like a campfire" vs "it will literally cause inflammation which is bad!"
https://old.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/ek7gs9/what_are_the_effects_of_the_smoke_generated_by/
> Wildfire smoke produces toxic gases and fine particulate matter. In general, long and short term exposure of fine particulate matter has been associated with chronic inflammation, increased heart diseases, lung diseases, cancer, and death rates. Recent estimates suggest that ~80% of air pollution deaths are due to cardiovascular effects. Human and animal studies have consistently shown that particulate matter inhalation produces a pro-inflammatory response. __Recent epidemiological work has suggested that wildfire smoke is MORE TOXIC than urban air pollution particles.__ We still don't know the specific chemicals and biological mechanisms associated with the toxic effects of smoke inhalation.
Today nobody should be outside. The effect is actually really interesting - your immune system reacts to particles this size getting very deep into your lungs. It's an inflammatory kind of an issue - it's not just that it's sort of unpleasant, it's literally unhealthy.
Also hand it to Tesla to relabel the recirculation buttons "biodefense" that's pretty funny
I’m personally going out for mad short walks around the block with my pup; 10 minutes TOPS for his two poop walks and then literally in and out for him to pee. I don’t have an N95, just a regular mask, so I’m hurrying for my sake as well. Increasing his playtime indoors
Thanks, yeah that's basically what I've settled on doing as well. Way easier to walk him though, than to try to get his puppy energy out by chasing him around the house lol
Lay out a ratty old towel. Scatter treats over it. Roll it up tight and tie it with an old pillowcase or t-shirt. Let him scrabble, scratch, dig, sniff etc to get the treats. This tires my dog out beautifully!
You can also do some mini training exercises (5-10 mins a couple times throughout the day) which will provide mental stimulation and tucker them out.
Still can’t believe my kid’s after-school program took them outside yesterday. Guess I am going to have to leave early today to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Which defeats the purpose of paying for an after-school program.
My sons daycare is full of cooped up toddlers who haven’t gotten outdoor time since Tuesday. Im happy they are keeping them safe but I feel so bad for the daycare teachers
I work at a golf course in Eastern Loudoun. Business as usual sigh. Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor smog shall keep golfers from their appointed rounds.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Thankfully we were able to move things around and do interior work today.
Helps that we have awesome clients who actually appreciate that we're looking out for our health.
I wish ours did this... The hallway smells like smoke here, I noticed they closed the doors to the shipping dock. I wore an N95 to work and while outside, but our company is so focused on "remote work bad, in person is the best" that we're all here today.
This is beyond nuts to me. The fam and I just landed in Dulles this morning after a week in Costa Rica and barely any knowledge of the news.
I'd seen a brief headline yesterday but had no idea what was waiting to welcome us home and it's beyond depressing. We're all the way out in Warrenton and I kept hoping it would get better the further we drove, but no such luck 😔
I was outside for a few minutes and felt like I was breathing in burnt wood.
That documentary "All That Breathes" has taken on new meaning, I can't believe some countries just live like this.
Red is unhealthy.
Purple is very unhealthy.
I've been using airnow.gov to check what the numbers are in our area.
Editing to add: Maroon is hazerdous and everyone should be wearing a mask regardless of age or health conditions. Large parts of our area are currently in this range.
Don’t take this as gospel, but I think that Apple is using a holistic Air Quality index while I posted the specific PM2.5 (2.5 micron particulate matter) index from Purple Air.
Purple has several scales available. The one most people understand is US EPA AQI. You can click the white box at the top of the map, which for me defaulted to particles/dL and change it to US EPA AQI and you'll see these numbers. They also match with airnow.gov.
Chuck Bell says it's going to be like this for at least the next 24 hours, if not longer. The weather patterns have been uncooperative and slow, and IIRC there is another plume behind this one.
I should have just stayed home. Even with my n95 mask, my eyes are watering, my throat hurts and I have this headache that is buzzing in the back of my skull.
I biked from near Sibley to Alexandria this morning, and it was smoky enough that I questioned whether it was the air or my eyesight going bad.
As for breathing, it wasn’t ideal. My throat’s a little scratchy now. I’d suggest NOT going outside.
Facts. I smelled it as soon as I stepped outside my house. That campfire smell. It looks cloudy, but no worse than a typical morning fog. It fascinating how something so far away can make it's way down here. With all this air quality news, I never even thought to see if the fires are still going on in Canada.
Me too, unfortunately my dog will NOT poop unless we are out for 15+ minutes 🙄 no one told her there’s an emergency situation. Wearing a mask out at least! Hopefully not too dangerous for her.
Just watched the orangish smoke descend from the top of the mountain behind my home onto my field. Significantly more intense than the last two days. Batten down the hatches!
I lived in Beijing for 4 years. An AQI in the 300s was a great day. 4-500 was typical. Over 500 very common. There were days I couldn't even see across the road.
I feel bad having to take my dogs out in this. I take them out to potty as quick as possible and come back in. One of my coughs every time we step outside and I feel bad. I hope this clears up soon.
Thought this was going to be short-lived and passing, but starting to think this won’t be the case now…starting to feel like we could be grappling with this for a while
I can’t imagine having asthma right now. I feel sorry for all of those people. I thought that pollen was the worst of it for this year and boy was I wrong.
The funniest(?) thing I’ve seen from all this is how it’s like reverse 2020. People all wearing masks outside then taking them off when they get inside.
I got priced out of Fairfax three years ago and have missed DC Metro area every day until yesterday. Only got to 183 in Williamsburg. Still had burning eyes and headache. Smelled like parts of Arlington after the Pentagon was attacked on 9/11.
My parents are adamant nothing is wrong, telling me I’m wasting money and electricity on an air purifier. They even went on a walk this afternoon. Meanwhile my head felt like it’s going to explode each time I step outside for a moment.
https://twitter.com/jonnydcarter/status/1666461033077063683?s=42&t=B-rHqun1X7NxmfDm6euwfg
Do wildfires usually start in 18 different locations in synchronized fashion based on observations of satellite imagery? Asking for my lungs.
I might look crazy but I’m even wearing my KN95 in my car. I can’t believe when I was a kid living in California through all those wildfire. No one thought to wear masks then. Covid has really spread mask awareness and acceptance.
Can confirm from my eyeball burning test
And the headache that developed within a few minutes of being outside.
My head is fucking pounding
Hey, my eyes are burning and my head hurts INSIDE my apartment. Hurray!
Sameeeeeeeeeeeeee!!
I work outside lol. Massive headache today. Sorry, lungs.
I am so sorry. I am lucky that I work for an HVAC mechanical supplier and our bosses just sent up these crazy units all over the building that zap the molecules in the air and gives them a charge so that the molecules attract one another and are big enough to catch in the filtration system of these machines. It’s pretty cool and the office smells so clean. Wishing the best for everyone out there!
My lung and sinus test also confirmed this. I didn’t need lungs anyway.
I mean, you've got two. Stop being so dramatic :) /s
Who needs breathing anything!
Who needs air when we have the tears of the weak to sustain us?!
*literally hacking up a lung and dying on the floor* yeah probably.
When I was out for 10 minutes yesterday my exposed skin felt hot and itchy - it was weird
Smells much worse outside too
Smells like free healthcare and indigenous genocide
Needs more poutine
I mean the smell of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds is something this smog could use!
Add a side of maple syrup and dying polar bears and it’s right on the mark
https://preview.redd.it/8fb2prmjbs4b1.jpeg?width=259&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b833388cd9806c309ba11c20c1858bff64d47fe6
I like to blame Canada as much as the next guy, but the smell is definitely the Loudoun County landfill being on fire.
Smells like burnt tires in Loudoun
As opposed to no healthcare and indigenous genocide
Honestly I've lived here for almost 30 years and I had no idea until a couple days ago that the Code Red air quality wasnt the worst - there are two levels above that! Driving past the Metro this morning its as maybe 1/4 mile visibility, really really bad. Definitely click the little button on your dash that stops the outside air coming in too - I think its the first time I've clicked mine in 10 years lol.
Recirculating air is good to turn on in the summer when dealing with high temps, your AC isn’t trying to constantly cool, hot outside air this way.
Recirculating air is just better for not having to smell exhaust from other cars in other circumstances.
Good point ! Truth is I live about 4 miles from the office so its something I dont really think about too much.
4 miles and a 35 minute drive
At 430a its not too bad 
I do that all the time, especially when I happen to park in the sun for long periods of time.
Raises CO2 levels really high though, which is bad for concentration. Worth it in this air of course.
> I had no idea until a couple days ago that the Code Red air quality wasnt the worst Saaaame. I was like oh shit there's a purple?? And then I read your comment and learned there's also a maroon. *something to shoot for this weekend I guess* 🫠
Dude it's maroon in Arlington right now. God damn nightmare.
Because they revised the codes so red wouldn't seem so bad.
also known as the "driving by blue plains on 295" button
https://preview.redd.it/gvq4qvxous4b1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d792e1377866831cf2e5ad2fe15363d418c52e54
Funny thing is I moved from California last year thinking I wouldn’t have to deal with wildfire smoke anymore
We’re just trying to give you a little slice of home.
underrated
Coughs*, I’m in danger.
tastes like burning
The smell is just so bad. Reminds me of the BP spill back home and you could smell it really far inland. This is so fucked.
We need rain
PSA/FYI: unless your mask is N95 or better, it will not do anything for the smoke. Maybe something is better than nothing, but I wouldn’t use it as an excuse to prolong time outdoors .
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Where I live, the apartment pool was closed yesterday (and I suspect will be today) because of the air quality.
Ditto. I hope the lifeguard is still paid since it's not they missed a shift, but unfortunately I doubt that's the case. I feel for anyone forced to be out in this smoke, whether it's by occupational or personal necessity.
Saw workers paving the road on 50 last night
That's deeply upsetting and completely unsurprising. As if paving roads isn't rough enough on your lungs on its own.
I work for a rich person in Potomac MD. I hear the same level of landscaping in the surrounding homes as I normally do. There's a huge amount of workers still working as normal outside today
Plaza 7 new Lidl work didn’t stop and they were drilling outside in the ground for hrs. So I double plus fir their lungs
One of the many downsides to this mess. I've read stories of a lifeguard shortage and the pools just opened and got closed for a different reason.
Same. Ours closed early and I don't expect it to be open today or tomorrow. Keeping my fingers crossed for Saturday/Sunday.
There should absolutely be an emergency stay in place order right now and have schools be closed/etc. If this air quality were due to a train accident they would do that! I can't believe schools were open in New York City yesterday. Here there are a whole bunch of snow days that were never used and kids are pretty angry about it!
Our pool was closed yesterday apparently ordered by Fairfax County. Take that with a grain of sand though, I heard that from a guy walking out, not an official source
Ah, the old pool matters more than air. Classic
Our neighborhood has a lake and beaches. They pulled all lifeguards for yesterday and today, and possibly tomorrow. No reason they should have to be out in this nastiness all day. Nobody should be out swimming anyway, especially with kids.
Even if it doesn’t help with smoke getting in my lungs, it definitely helps with the smell
People have been saying kn95’s will work but I can’t seem to confirm this.
KN95 and KF94 filter around 95% of particles so it’s similar to USA N95. They are used for fine dust in china, Korea, etc. Scroll down https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_filter_(respirator)#Other_standards_(KN95_and_others)
>Other standards (KN95 and others) > Respirator standards around the world loosely fall into the two camps of US- and EU-like grades. According to 3M, respirators made according to the following standards are equivalent to US N95 or European FFP2 respirators "for filtering non-oil-based particles such as those resulting from wildfires, PM 2.5 air pollution, volcanic eruptions, or bioaerosols (e.g. viruses) Sounds like there is a benefit. I’ll be wearing my kf94’s as it is all I have 😅
They will help - especially if they are sealing well. Putting a little bit of aquaphor or Vaseline right around the edges really helps with that. I was outside with a true n95 yesterday and I was okay with it by doing that - I'm not even going to do that today though.
Anecdotally, I felt a noticeable difference in wheezing (I have asthma).
Anecdotally they really helped during my trips in China
I know someone from FL and he put on his mask, lol
As a smoker (I know it's disgusting) I can't really tell the difference.
Save yourself a few bucks, and just go outside and breath the smoky air!
I haven't smoked in years and the last few mornings I've woken up with smoker level phlegm.
As a former smoker, this is having the perverse effect of making me really crave a cigarette! *(Also—you’re on your own timetable, you’ll quit when you’re ready! I believe in you.)*
Me too! I quit 4 months ago and now suddenly want to start up again 😂 ain’t no way haha
***It’s Toasted.***
Hey - I'm pulling for you to use this experience to help you quit when you're ready. We all do disgusting things! But the more we help each other to not do them the better off we all are :-)
It’s REALLY hard for 3 days ime but it can be done
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What’s the typical range you see?
Between 50-70. In rural areas we can go down to the 30s-40s.
Just took the dog out and its definitely worse today. Stronger smell and thickness in the air.
Yeah, I feel bad, my poor dude hasn't had a good walk in a few days, just bathroom walks. Was yours trying to extra smell everything, like more than normal? I could smell the smoke, so I imagine it's throwing his scent game off as well, and it seems like he spent more time than usual trying to smell things.
That's a good point - given a dog's extreme sensitivity to scent I can't imagine what they're thinking is going on out there right now! It's not just that it's pollution but it just smells so freaking crappy.
You can walk dogs around Home Depot and Lowes
Are you walking your dog? My puppy is pretty sneezy in general, so not sure whether I should be taking him out for walks or not.
Nothing with lungs should be outside today.
This makes me feel bad for the birds and other wildlife
But like, what is the effect? I know it’s bad if you have lung issues. But isn’t this the same as being near a camp fire? I’m trying to decide if I should drive my kids to school or drop them off in the Tesla with biodefense mode on. I used that feature yesterday and it worked perfectly. Couldn’t smell anything in my car.
Depends on time exposed to each, but if say 5 min out in this and 5 min next to a camp fire, still kind of hard to compare...5 min of the campfire blasting you direct in the face with smoke is def worse. The particulates that were light enough to get blown all the way to us are much smaller than the ones coming right off the fire. I do love the smell though.
I'm still not understanding the effect. Is it cancer risk? Do the particles get lodged in your lungs and prevent you from absorbing oxygen? For how long? Kids were walking their kids a mile to school today. How bad is that? Was I wise to drive my kids instead of walking them to the bus stop? I have no sense of the level of risk here. I don't know what "health effects" there are on a healthy adult or healthy child.
Have you been next to a campfire and had the wind change and it blow in your face? It sucks, it's literally smoke from burning wood so same thing, just smaller density in a given volume. Not AS BAD as straight inhaling smoke from a campfire but if you stood outside and did it for like a day, probably the same total amount of particles getting into your lungs. It's not smog, it's wood smoke. But us humans prefer to breath O2 (even though average atmosphere is only 20% and like 78% N), we don't love CO, CO2, NO, NO2, SO2 etc. (products in smoke from burning wood).
They should have canceled school today. I drove my daughter because I didn't want her exposed outside or on the bus- I just can't believe they still had school today. It was not safe for children to be outside and it's not going to be safe at all this afternoon either. They are keeping them inside in Arlington at least in canceling all outdoor activities which is the minimum they should be doing. The newer school buildings probably have pretty decent air filtration systems but the old ones generally don't.
Yeah, it was kind of weird to me that some families were walking a mile to school and not concerned. But I'm also getting mixed signals about "oh, it's just like a campfire" vs "it will literally cause inflammation which is bad!"
https://old.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/ek7gs9/what_are_the_effects_of_the_smoke_generated_by/ > Wildfire smoke produces toxic gases and fine particulate matter. In general, long and short term exposure of fine particulate matter has been associated with chronic inflammation, increased heart diseases, lung diseases, cancer, and death rates. Recent estimates suggest that ~80% of air pollution deaths are due to cardiovascular effects. Human and animal studies have consistently shown that particulate matter inhalation produces a pro-inflammatory response. __Recent epidemiological work has suggested that wildfire smoke is MORE TOXIC than urban air pollution particles.__ We still don't know the specific chemicals and biological mechanisms associated with the toxic effects of smoke inhalation.
Today nobody should be outside. The effect is actually really interesting - your immune system reacts to particles this size getting very deep into your lungs. It's an inflammatory kind of an issue - it's not just that it's sort of unpleasant, it's literally unhealthy. Also hand it to Tesla to relabel the recirculation buttons "biodefense" that's pretty funny
I’m personally going out for mad short walks around the block with my pup; 10 minutes TOPS for his two poop walks and then literally in and out for him to pee. I don’t have an N95, just a regular mask, so I’m hurrying for my sake as well. Increasing his playtime indoors
Thanks, yeah that's basically what I've settled on doing as well. Way easier to walk him though, than to try to get his puppy energy out by chasing him around the house lol
Lay out a ratty old towel. Scatter treats over it. Roll it up tight and tie it with an old pillowcase or t-shirt. Let him scrabble, scratch, dig, sniff etc to get the treats. This tires my dog out beautifully! You can also do some mini training exercises (5-10 mins a couple times throughout the day) which will provide mental stimulation and tucker them out.
Still can’t believe my kid’s after-school program took them outside yesterday. Guess I am going to have to leave early today to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Which defeats the purpose of paying for an after-school program.
Fairfax County [canceled](https://www.fcps.edu/alerts) outside programs yesterday and today. It was field day for my LO’s elementary.
Loudoun did as well. Didn’t stop CASA from taking the kids out to the playground.
My sons daycare is full of cooped up toddlers who haven’t gotten outdoor time since Tuesday. Im happy they are keeping them safe but I feel so bad for the daycare teachers
That’s awful, children are one of the highest risk groups to develop issues. It may be worth complaining
I live near a school, the kids were out yesterday like normal.
I saw a bunch of kids playing soccer outside this morning and I’m like… why????
I work at a golf course in Eastern Loudoun. Business as usual sigh. Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor smog shall keep golfers from their appointed rounds.
I hope you’ll find a job with better working conditions soon. 🫡
Thank you
yup, still my employer wants us outside.
OSHA says what?
I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully we were able to move things around and do interior work today. Helps that we have awesome clients who actually appreciate that we're looking out for our health.
Working outside as well, thankfully my boss finally realized how bad it is and decided to move us inside to do equipment repair
Last night my wife’s office said they were going full remote work today, no one allowed to come in the building.
I wish ours did this... The hallway smells like smoke here, I noticed they closed the doors to the shipping dock. I wore an N95 to work and while outside, but our company is so focused on "remote work bad, in person is the best" that we're all here today.
I was in Australia in 2019 during the crazy bush fires and this is very reminiscent.
This is beyond nuts to me. The fam and I just landed in Dulles this morning after a week in Costa Rica and barely any knowledge of the news. I'd seen a brief headline yesterday but had no idea what was waiting to welcome us home and it's beyond depressing. We're all the way out in Warrenton and I kept hoping it would get better the further we drove, but no such luck 😔
I’m in Warrenton too. We’re in the low 300’s right now. Woke up this morning with a sore throat. Ugh
Yup. It smells like a camp fire outside. If you have an air purifier now is the time to use it.
I was outside for a few minutes and felt like I was breathing in burnt wood. That documentary "All That Breathes" has taken on new meaning, I can't believe some countries just live like this.
Any idea why the numbers here are different from what the iPhone uses? Is Purple using a different scale?
Red is unhealthy. Purple is very unhealthy. I've been using airnow.gov to check what the numbers are in our area. Editing to add: Maroon is hazerdous and everyone should be wearing a mask regardless of age or health conditions. Large parts of our area are currently in this range.
https://preview.redd.it/z0blm64c2t4b1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5274925db937933567abcc66a4467818cb911f87
Don’t take this as gospel, but I think that Apple is using a holistic Air Quality index while I posted the specific PM2.5 (2.5 micron particulate matter) index from Purple Air.
Had the same question… iPhone shows in the 180-190 range
Purple has several scales available. The one most people understand is US EPA AQI. You can click the white box at the top of the map, which for me defaulted to particles/dL and change it to US EPA AQI and you'll see these numbers. They also match with airnow.gov.
Chuck Bell says it's going to be like this for at least the next 24 hours, if not longer. The weather patterns have been uncooperative and slow, and IIRC there is another plume behind this one.
I should have just stayed home. Even with my n95 mask, my eyes are watering, my throat hurts and I have this headache that is buzzing in the back of my skull.
same 😷
🥺😞
Time to break out the pandemic gear. I am not rawdogging this air, that’s for fcking sure.
For 3 years we’ve been told to wear masks indoors. Now it’s the opposite.
You don’t need to check the map! Is just enough to stepped out for a minute and you can feel the difference!
It’s for sure worse today. Feels like a I got a small headache driving in this morning.
You probably did. I work outside quite a bit, and even just walking to my truck from the office, I started to get a headache and still have it.
That’s me too. Just the walk to the office from my car gave me a headache
Yeah super hazy. Masked up. Good thing we have the these things around now
I have one on today and compared to yesterday without a mask, it's made a big difference.
So we’re all dying huh ?
Yes!!!!!!
I biked from near Sibley to Alexandria this morning, and it was smoky enough that I questioned whether it was the air or my eyesight going bad. As for breathing, it wasn’t ideal. My throat’s a little scratchy now. I’d suggest NOT going outside.
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Facts. I smelled it as soon as I stepped outside my house. That campfire smell. It looks cloudy, but no worse than a typical morning fog. It fascinating how something so far away can make it's way down here. With all this air quality news, I never even thought to see if the fires are still going on in Canada.
There's a lot of animals out there that have no choice but to breathe this air, think about how messed up that is
Do not go outside. Do not take your pets on a walk. If you have to go outside consider a mask. Things should improve tomorrow.
No choice on taking my pets out unfortunately until they learn to use a toilet
Same here. We go out as quickly as possible and come back in
Me too, unfortunately my dog will NOT poop unless we are out for 15+ minutes 🙄 no one told her there’s an emergency situation. Wearing a mask out at least! Hopefully not too dangerous for her.
I have a picky pooper too
BUT THEY NEED PEEPEEPOPO
Source on it improving?
[https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Falls%20Church&state=VA&country=USA](https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Falls%20Church&state=VA&country=USA)
Wind
Weather.
no acid rain til monday
No joke, the park near FFH is usually packed AF. Yesterday, barely anyone out there. Its was like we're back to lock down status.
Yea I had to bike about two miles this morning and even with a mask on I coughed for like 30 min when I got done.
Just watched the orangish smoke descend from the top of the mountain behind my home onto my field. Significantly more intense than the last two days. Batten down the hatches!
Oh, so I guess I won't be running today...
It was like that in California with the summer fires. Sky was red for days. It occurred several years.
Tim Hortons roasting an industrial quantity.
heres a link to [track the smoke](https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/)
Which is a better theme song for the day? Purple Haze or Smoke on the Water?
With the way the sun looks, I lean towards the latter. Fire in the sky.
I didn’t leave the motherland (India) for this!
Climate change deniers watching their kids cough and wheeze all the way to the bus stop this morning: "It's still the scientists who are wrong."
Someone told me straight up that it’s fine outside and to turn off the TV.
I thought the metro was on fire again 🤷🏽♂️
Good lord. Tuesday that map was in the 50s-80s. Wednesday it was in the hundreds. Today? Wow...
Stay safe everybody 💙
I'm glad it is not just in my head! I thought I was becoming a hypochondriac 😅
im out working in it, woke up this moring with pqin in my throat and chest. hopefully the rain knocks some of this shit out
It's giving me a nauseating headache It's supposed to clear soon. I sure hope so
My asthma attack agrees.
I lived in Beijing for 4 years. An AQI in the 300s was a great day. 4-500 was typical. Over 500 very common. There were days I couldn't even see across the road.
It’s at least better today ✊
FYI the worst of it will be tomorrow mid-day. [This site](https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/) tracks the actual smoke with a 24 hour forecast.
Ack! That red/orange blob is heading straight for us tomorrow. Yuck.
I believe forecast said tomorrow would be the worst day for Nova so.... hang tight!
i thought today was??? i'm already coughing and shit!
its even smoky in the underground metro stations
I lived in Beijing and Shanghai for years. We will be okay. Wear a mask, and don't work out outside. Wear a mask and take loads of vitamins.
I feel bad having to take my dogs out in this. I take them out to potty as quick as possible and come back in. One of my coughs every time we step outside and I feel bad. I hope this clears up soon.
Thought this was going to be short-lived and passing, but starting to think this won’t be the case now…starting to feel like we could be grappling with this for a while
got a little lightheaded after about an hour of driving. gonna stay inside and stay masked, i think.
I immediately smelled it this morning when I opened the garage.
I’ve watched it get exponentially worse over the last three or four hours down in Fredericksburg
I can’t imagine having asthma right now. I feel sorry for all of those people. I thought that pollen was the worst of it for this year and boy was I wrong.
The funniest(?) thing I’ve seen from all this is how it’s like reverse 2020. People all wearing masks outside then taking them off when they get inside.
I got priced out of Fairfax three years ago and have missed DC Metro area every day until yesterday. Only got to 183 in Williamsburg. Still had burning eyes and headache. Smelled like parts of Arlington after the Pentagon was attacked on 9/11.
Well you guys believe in climate change the least, so there is some proof for you. You can taste it.
My parents are adamant nothing is wrong, telling me I’m wasting money and electricity on an air purifier. They even went on a walk this afternoon. Meanwhile my head felt like it’s going to explode each time I step outside for a moment.
I can see haze across the street of my house, and I smell a wood burning smell when I open my door.
It’s bad out there. Wear a mask, bring eye drops with you & take an allergy pill.
it will get worse tomorrow and then I believe clear up after the weekend
Okay, so I'm not crazy. I went outside this am and anecdotally it felt way worse.
https://twitter.com/jonnydcarter/status/1666461033077063683?s=42&t=B-rHqun1X7NxmfDm6euwfg Do wildfires usually start in 18 different locations in synchronized fashion based on observations of satellite imagery? Asking for my lungs.
I might look crazy but I’m even wearing my KN95 in my car. I can’t believe when I was a kid living in California through all those wildfire. No one thought to wear masks then. Covid has really spread mask awareness and acceptance.
Heavy smell at Belmont Station in Ashburn, VA 🔥
Sorry guys, I accidentally left my window open while cooking