Extreme smog events take place when the AQI (air quality index) rises over 300. According to the World Air Quality Index (WAQI), in a scale from 0 to 500, 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 moderate, 101-150 unhealthy for sensitive groups, 151-200 unhealthy, 201-300 very unhealthy and 301-500 hazardous. In India, the world’s most-polluted country, pollutant levels above 500 fall in the ‘severe-plus-emergency’ category.
Known as airpocalypses, these extreme smog events happen due to a combination of human and environmental factors. These factors include agricultural crop burning to clear fields, fossil-fuel burning from heavy traffic, weather pattern changes (slower winds, stagnant air, cold air inversion), construction, industrialization (coal-burning power plants and factories), colder weather that prompts trash-burning for homeless people and outdoor workers, festival firecrackers, and combustion from domestic cookstoves.
Those most vulnerable at an airpocalypse are children, the elderly, those with pre-existing heart and lung conditions, outdoor workers and people exercising outdoors (who shouldn’t!). However, everyone is at risk because breathing in PM2.5 particles that may end up in your lungs can impair your lung function and travel through your bloodstream to other parts of your body, potentially causing damage. While the health effects may not be immediately apparent, disease may occur later in life.
During an extreme smog, immediate effects including coughing, irritated eyes, and difficulty breathing can happen. Hospital emergency rooms are typically overwhelmed by children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing respiratory issues. Short-term and long-term air pollution exposure causes inflammation of your body’s cells. This may result in a wide range of health issues—from high blood pressure and heart and lung disease to obesity, dementia and cancer. Exposure shortens your life expectancy. Air Quality Life Index study found that those living in Delhi could expect to live about 4.3 years if air quality brought into line with WHO air quality guidelines.
To stay safe during an airpocalypse is important to limit your physical activity outdoors, stay indoors with doors and windows closed, and avoid using aerosol products, frying food and other activities that increase indoor air pollution levels. Use a third-party tested air purifier indoors and protective N99, P-100 or FF3 face mask if you must venture outdoors.
Air purifiers can provide relief from the toxic levels of air pollution outdoors. But it is important to remember that indoor air quality can be up to five times more polluted than the air outdoors. So, it is important to have an air purifier working in your home all year, not only during extreme times of smog. Choose a third-party tested air purifier with a high Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR). Thanks to the proprietary HEPA Silent Technology™ Blueair air purifiers are among the most efficient on the market, removing 99.97% of harmful pollutants down to 0.1 micron in size.
Find yourself in the midst of an airpocalypse? Here are our Top 5 Tips on how to protect yourself and your family from an extreme smog event.
- Stay indoors in a space where you can breathe filtered air. If you must go out, wear a protective face mask (preferably N99, P-100 or FF3) and make sure it fits your face tightly. Limit your outdoor activities as much as possible and avoid strenuous sports activity.
- Make sure your car’s cabin air filter is in good operating condition. This should be replaced every year, and perhaps more often in cities where air quality is poor. Consider investing in an in-car air purfier.
- Monitor your indoor air quality, if possible. Indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than the air outdoors. That’s why it’s important to take measures to keep your indoor air clean, such as maintaining your whole house filters in good operating condition.
- Invest in high-performing air purifiers for your whole house. Air purifiers provide relief from the toxic levels of air pollution outdoors, significantly reducing indoor air pollutants. Because indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outdoors, it’s important to have an air purifier working in your home all year, not only during an airpocalypse.
- Choose a Blueair air purifier that’s right for your needs. Third-party tested Blueair models feature high Clean Air Delivery Rates (CADR) and come in various models for different room sizes. Thanks to proprietary HEPA Silent Technology™, Blueair air purifiers are among the most efficient on the market, removing 99.97% of harmful pollutants down to 0.1 micron in size.
