Protect Your Facility Inhabitants From Poor Air Quality

Poor-quality air can travel thousands of miles to affect a community. During the summertime, heat is one of the most significant drivers of harmful air, according to The Weather Channel. Heat domes can trap poor air near the surface and hold it, making bad air quality linger for days. Extra sunshine also drives chemical reactions that create even more pollutants. 

Heat can also fuel wildfires, which create smoke that can travel far with the weather’s help. Strong winds high in the atmosphere carry it far downwind. Additionally, tropical waves and ridges can carry dust from the Sahara Desert in Africa across the Atlantic and into the U.S. 

Every season brings its own challenges however: Winter’s stagnant air raises the air quality index, spring adds pollen and mold, and fall leaf burning reintroduces particles.

The Weather Channel reported that the single most important thing people can do is simply know when the air is bad. If you’re not keeping an eye on the weather or set up to get alerts, you can’t protect yourself or your facility inhabitants from something you don’t see coming.

Once you know the air quality is bad head indoors, and keep your windows shut.

The Weather Channel provided a few steps to make your building a cleaner place to wait it out:

• Run a portable air purifier.
• Make sure your filtration systems are up to standard.
• Don’t add to the problem. Skip the candles, the gas, propane and wood-burning stoves, and even hairspray and spray cleaners.

If you do have to go out, wear a mask. Cloth and dust masks don’t filter fine particles well, but a properly fitted N95 or KN95 offers real protection for your lungs, according to The Weather Channel.