With wildfires likely to increase in the coming years due to climate change, buying an air purifier would be a good investment for your health.
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“It’s a good idea to have an air purifier, but you have to make sure it’s HEPA-labeled so it filters out fine particles,” explains Éric Lavigne, assistant professor at the University of Ottawa’s School of Epidemiology and Public Health.
“You don’t have to pay $1,000 for an air purifier, some sell for a few hundred dollars with the HEPA label,” he adds.
However, he explains that it is necessary to look at the area covered by the instrument to ensure its effectiveness.
“We can easily move and plug them in so they can follow us around the living room during the day and around the bedroom at night,” he continues.
TCL
The connected air purifier Breeva 5 is notably equipped with the HEPA label.
Even if the air seems quite heavy, you should definitely avoid opening the windows to cool the interior.
“We have to make sure that we don’t let the air in from the outside, because the fine dust particles can get inside very easily,” he emphasizes.
If you don’t have an air purifier, it’s better to use the ventilation systems to circulate air or use the air conditioner to keep the air fresh and clean and avoid the intrusion of polluted air from outside.
masks
And when you go outside, the use of N95 masks is highly recommended to protect against particles that can cause respiratory infections.
“We know that N95 is very effective at filtering particles when contamination is very high. Other types of masks may offer some level of prevention but aren’t as strong,” he explains.
Although surgical masks do not offer very good protection due to the size of the fine particles, they are still a small protection.
“It’s still a good option,” he concludes.
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