Canadian Wildfires & NYC Pollution: Here’s how to keep indoor air clean with no air purifier

Raging wildfires in Canada turned New York into the world’s most polluted major city last Tuesday, as smoke covered the Northeast and people were asked to limit outdoor activities. Pollution levels were higher than those in Delhi and Baghdad at 1:25 am New York time.

Health alerts got issued as well. Canadian officials estimate the unprecedented wildfires have already turned roughly 8.2 million acres of land into ashes. Over 400 fires are currently burning, compelling thousands to seek shelter elsewhere.

In such an unhealthy environment, can Americans switch on their air conditioners with smoke outside? If you don’t have an air purifier, ceiling fans and air conditioners can help improve the quality of your indoor air, when used right.

While an air purifier is one of the best ways to improve indoor air quality, it might not be available in all houses. No worries, though. If you are staying inside to avoid the smoke and don’t have access to an air filter, there are a few other things you can do.

Use an air conditioner, said Dr Panagis Galiatsatos from Johns Hopkins Medicine. Dr Samantha Green from Unity Health Toronto stressed it’s important to ensure the air conditioner is set to recirculate air. You may want to replace the air filter in your central air conditioner.

Nevertheless, if you don’t have access to air conditioning, turn on portable fans and ceiling fans. Keep the fans close and if you happen to have multiple fans, switch all of them on. Dr Galiatsatos highlighted the importance of any item that can help circulate the air.

Meanwhile, if your bathroom exhaust fans bring in outdoor air, switch them off as much as possible, Dr Green said. Some range hoods over kitchen stoves also allow outdoor air to enter. If you’re cooking, you should use the range hood. But try to limit the amount of time it’s on.

Avoid frying meat, burning candles or lighting a fire, in order to further reduce the pollutants in the air. While smoking indoors isn’t a great idea ever, it’s particularly bad when you’re already at risk of exposure to wildfire smoke.