Wildfire season is a stressful time in San Diego, CA. It can be even more stressful when someone in your house has a health condition such as asthma. Let’s talk about how an air purifier can help remove harmful smoke particles and other irritants from your home.
What Is in Wildfire Smoke?
Smoke contains a high concentration of both large and exceedingly small particles. Even if you close up your house and stay inside during a wildfire, tiny airborne particles can still get in. Breathing these particles is a major health concern.
Ash and soot are larger particles that you’ll see floating through the air and settling on surfaces like countertops. Depending on what is burning, there can also be any number of invisible chemicals. Chemicals become less of a concern the farther you are from the fire.
What Are the Health Concerns?
Lung and eye irritation are among the most immediate concerns with smoke exposure. If anyone in your home has asthma or other respiratory disorders, breathing these irritating particles is of higher concern.
The microscopic particles cause the most irritation because they make it past your nose and throat and travel into your lungs. Removing as many of these particles as possible from the air will help reduce the risk of irritation or illness and improve your indoor air quality.
What Will an Air Purifier Remove?
An air purifier that has a High-Efficiency Particulate Absorbing (HEPA) rating will filter out particles that measure 0.3 microns or larger. Since the microscopic particles are some of the most damaging, these purifiers are beneficial when dealing with wildfire smoke.
Some air purifiers are labeled for smoke, but that doesn’t necessarily mean wildfire smoke. Call the expert HVAC technicians at West Coast Heating, Air Conditioning and Solar, and we’ll help you find the right air purifier for your concerns.
Image provided by iStock
