Canadian wildfire smoke calls for more diligent air filter practices

Increased particulate matter from wildfires in Canada can not only impact personal health, experts say it can also impede vehicle performance if proper air filter management is not maintained.

Wildfire smoke from Canada made it to several parts of the U.S. this past week, including major cities along the East Coast and the Great Lakes where the Centers for Disease Control reported hazardous air conditions. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported 422 active fires across the country on Saturday, which is 22 more than Wednesday with 219 being termed out of control.

To help lower health risks from wildfire smoke, some employers required workers to stay home last week while others weren’t so lucky, like truck and van drivers who continued to travel through smoky air that transformed the skyline into an orange apocalyptic scene.

While there are no federal guidelines requiring employers to protect workers from hazardous air, California has laws requiring companies to provide protective gear for workers who are “exposed to wildfire smoke” or when “the Air Quality Index (current AQI) for PM2.5 is 151 or greater.” Oregon and Washington State have similar laws.

A fire and smoke map from the EPA on Friday indicates air quality throughout the U.S. and neighboring countries.Environmental Protection AgencyPM2.5 is particulate matter that is two-and-a-half microns or less in width, which is small enough to be deeply inhaled where it can “irritate the lungs, cause inflammation, alter immune functions and increase susceptibility to respiratory infections, likely including COVID-19” the Centers for Disease Control reports on its website.

The CDC recommends using an N95 respirator to help reduce the risks associated from inhaling harmful wildfire smoke.