Now Might Be A Good Time To Know How To Keep Air Inside Your NYC Home Clean Without An Air Purifier

New York City's air pollution ranked the worst of any city in the world on Wednesday as wildfire smoke from Canada continued to drift over the area, creating a second day of orange haze over the city and prompting some residents to wear face masks outdoors.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the city reached an AQI of 342, a level considered "hazardous" for all residents and "unhealthy" air quality alerts were prompted for New York City and much of the Northeast U.S. This led to an?atmosphere of panic, and rightly so.?

Search results for "smoke masks for fire" rose by +100% as of this writing, and a search for "air purifier same-day delivery" was up +250%. Interest by subregions appeared high in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York.

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No air purifier? Do this

But what do you do in case of no air purifier access? There are a few other things you can do to keep the air in your home as clean as possible.

As per Dr Panagis Galiatsatos, a pulmonary and critical care medicine physician at Johns Hopkins Medicine, the air-conditioner is the next best tool after an air purifier. Keep your windows closed, and make sure your air-conditioner is set to recirculate air, said Dr Samantha Green, a family physician at Unity Health Toronto.

You may want to replace the air filter in your central air-conditioner. Wirecutter, a New York Times company, has guidance on the air filters and purifiers that can help protect against wildfire smoke.

If you don't have air-conditioning, portable fans and ceiling fans can help. Keep fans close to where you are inside — and if you happen to have multiple lovers, turn on all of them. "Anything that can help circulate the air is better than nothing," Dr Galiatsatos said.

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You should keep bathroom exhaust fans off as much as possible if they bring in outdoor air, Dr Green said. Some range hoods over kitchen stoves also allow outside air to infiltrate your home (if you're cooking, you should use the range hood but try to limit the amount of time it's on).

To further minimize the pollutants in the air, don't burn candles or light a fire, and refrain from frying meat. Smoking indoors is always a bad idea, Dr Galiatsatos said, but particularly when you're already susceptible to exposure from wildfire smoke. "Now is the time to promote lung health," he said.

And don't open your window. If the air quality is bad, keep your windows as closed and sealed as possible.

Some tips

The Environmental Protection Agency has more tips on using an air conditioner during smoky conditions.

• Test for radon or determine how to fix high levels (PDF) of radon.
• Reduce asthma triggers.
• Prevent mold by controlling moisture.
• Install carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. Change the batteries in existing CO and smoke detectors.

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Finally, should you be worried?

If you are in what officials call a vulnerable or sensitive group — the elderly, children and people with respiratory, heart or other health issues — you should take this seriously. Stay inside and monitor any symptoms as they arise, health officials say.

The risks are higher for pregnant people, children, the elderly and those with chronic lung and respiratory conditions like asthma and COPD.

Particulate matter exposure can worsen heart and lung diseases and can trigger asthma attacks and heart attacks.And all New Yorkers should limit their outdoor activity. "Avoid going outside unless you absolutely have to," said city Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan on Wednesday.

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