Smoke from Canadian wildfires once again drifted into the District this week, causing a Code Red air quality alert Thursday. The alert for “unhealthy air” comes just three weeks after the D.C. region experienced its worst air quality on record.
As of Thursday morning, D.C. had the worst air quality out of 100 of the world’s major cities ranked by IQAir, an air quality technology company that operates a real-time monitoring platform.
You can check the real-time air quality near you at airnow.gov; the site also hosts a map of wildfire smoke throughout the country. Most weather apps also show information on daily air quality.
Regularly seeking out this information is one of the most important things people can do to protect themselves from the health harms that air pollution poses, said Dr. Joseph L. Wilkins, a leading wildfire and air pollution expert and Howard University professor.
“People need to be more diligent in checking the air quality, same as they would whether or not it’s going to rain that day,” Wilkins said. “And people need to take it serious.”
Staying Safe During Thursday’s Air Quality Alert
When air quality hits Code Red levels, everyone should stay indoors as much as possible.
- Avoid strenuous outdoor activity if you can, and keep windows closed while inside.
- If you have central air conditioning, set it to “recirculate air”—that means it’s not pulling dirty air from outdoors.
- When you do have to go outdoors, wear a tight-fitting N95 or KN95 mask; a regular cloth or surgical mask will not filter out smoke particles at all.
- If you need to do outdoor work, take frequent breaks inside.
Unhealthy air quality poses particularly high risks to sensitive populations, which include anyone with a heart or lung issue as well as pregnant people, seniors and children. However, a Code Red alert indicates that levels of harmful pollutants have become high enough that even people outside of those groups may start to experience problems from breathing the air.
“This is something that can cause a lot of health issues,” Wilkins said. Those can include “acute issues like asthma flare-ups, full-on asthma attacks or bronchitis” as well as longer-term issues, such as increased risks for heart and lung diseases.
Unhoused people and people whose jobs keep them outdoors for large portions of the day are also at higher risk of health harms during air pollution spikes.
Preparing for the Next Smoky Day
Wilkins said he was “not at all” surprised that the D.C. region was getting hit with more high-pollution days. Canada is experiencing its most destructive wildfire season in decades, following a period of unusually hot and dry weather. Climate change makes longer and more severe fire seasons a much more common occurrence, because it causes warmer temperatures and major changes in rainfall patterns.
The D.C. area and other regions of the U.S. that have not typically experienced heavy wildfire smoke will therefore likely see more air quality issues this summer and in years to come. There are some ways to prepare yourself and your home before and during these events, though.
- Get in the habit of checking air quality regularly on a weather app
- Keep a stash of N95 and KN95 masks on hand
- Buy an air purifier, especially one with a HEPA (or “high efficiency particulate air”) filter; these machines can be expensive, but there are some affordable options and they make a big difference for reducing wildfire smoke indoors
- If you have central air conditioning, check the filter and replace it if it’s dirty
- If you have A/C window units, purchase one or more fans to keep cool—keeping window units off when possible will help, since they work by pulling air in from outside
