由于污染和空气质量差 野火烟雾 会影响健康. Here’s what you should know if your area has air quality in the unhealthy range.

空气质量和空气污染

的 two most common types of pollution that can cause health problems are ozone and particle pollution.

臭氧 is a colorless gas that occurs naturally in the atmosphere when sunlight interacts with oxygen. It also is released by burning fossil fuels from motor vehicles, 工厂及其他工业设施. 臭氧 can accumulate at the ground level, where it is called smog. 炎热、晴朗的天气会增加臭氧的积累.

颗粒污染 is microscopic bits of solid material or droplets suspended in the air. 颗粒来自汽车尾气, 轮胎, 沙尘暴, 火山喷发, 化学气溶胶, 农业, 建设, 建筑拆除, 壁炉和野火.

不健康空气对健康的影响

A high concentration of pollution in the air can irritate eyes and breathing passages in the nose, 喉咙和肺, 导致:

• 咳嗽
• 喘息
• 哮喘发作更频繁或更严重
• 眼睛和喉咙发炎
• 胸部有烧灼感
• Reduced lung function, resulting in a feeling of tightness or shortness of breath

根据 美国国立卫生研究院6 .空气污染.5 million deaths around the world each year, and those numbers are rising.

Frequent exposure to air pollution can raise your risk of:

• 呼吸道疾病，例如
  • 慢性阻塞性肺疾病(COPD或肺气肿)
  • 哮喘
  • 慢性支气管炎
• 乳腺癌
• 非霍奇金 淋巴瘤
• 肺癌
• 慢性炎症 due to excessive wear and tear on the body’s cells (oxidative stress) that can lead to cardiovascular disease
• 心脏病:一个 研究 建议最多2个.8% of heart attack deaths could be attributed to high levels of fine particulate pollution in combination with hot weather.

糟糕的空气质量:谁处于危险之中?

空气污染会影响到每个人. But those who should be especially aware of bad air quality days include:

• 孩子们
• 65岁及以上的成年人
• 哮喘患者
• 怀孕的人
• Those with lung disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD or emphysema)
• 心脏病患者

儿童与空气污染:长期风险

儿童尤其容易受到空气污染的危害. 研究 suggest that exposure to air pollution is associated with premature birth and may affect the developing brain.

Families with children should follow local recommendations and call a doctor immediately if poor air quality is affecting their area and if their child:

• 呼吸困难
• 持续咳嗽
• 是不是比平时更困
• 对吃喝不感兴趣

孩子们 born and raised in urban areas where air pollution is a factor statistically have a higher chance of developing neurological conditions, 行为障碍, 注意缺陷/多动障碍, 以及自闭症谱系条件.

你如何保护自己免受恶劣空气质量的影响?

消息灵通. You can get information about air quality from local weather reports and the U.S. 空气质素指数.

Air quality refers to the concentration of pollutants in the air. 的 空气质量指数) changes daily and may be part of a regional or local weather forecast.

的 air quality index is expressed by a number representing the concentration of pollutants in the air, 还有一种颜色:

• 绿色:好
• 黄色:温和
• 橙色:不适合敏感人群
• 红色:不健康的
• 紫色:非常不健康
• 栗色:危险

的 advisories also include specifics on exercising outdoors and 儿童户外活动 在一定程度上避免.

空气质量差时要考虑的其他建议:

• 把你在户外的时间限制在30分钟以内. 鼓励孩子在室内玩耍.
• Keep windows closed and use the “re-circulate” setting on your air conditioning or heat.
• 把你的健身活动从室外转移到室内. For instance, run on a treadmill or mall walk instead of running or walking outside. If you must exercise outside, pick an area away from roads and traffic.
• If you must spend time outside, consider wearing an N95 mask. Cloth or surgical masks will not prevent inhaling of particles.
• Take a shower after being outside to rinse particles from your skin and hair.

How to Help Protect Your Community When Air Quality is Poor

• 跳过火坑. 避免燃烧木材或垃圾.
• 限制驾驶. 如果可以的话，拼车或者一起做一些事情.
• Avoid gas-powered lawn care devices such as blowers and mowers, especially older models.
• 电力生产对空气质量有影响. 减少家里的能源使用会有所帮助.

如果你住在有危险的地区，要做好准备

If wildfires or other air quality emergencies are possible where you live, 确保你和你爱的人做好了准备:

• 储备药品. Keep a seven-day to 10-day supply of all your family’s prescriptions in a safe, child-proof and waterproof container that you can grab quickly if you need to leave home.
• 如果你必须去避难所，因为火灾, 烟雾或其他空气质量危害, be sure to alert officials at the shelter about health conditions you or your loved ones have such as asthma, 心脏病或慢性阻塞性肺病.

野火与空气质量

森林大火, 哪些会在高温下发生, 干燥的天气, release large amounts of smoke into the air and affect not only local communities but entire states and even continents. 他们的发病率正在上升.

根据 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 野火烟雾 contains gas and particles of burned trees, vegetation and buildings. Breathing smoke can cause coughing and irritation to your respiratory system. 适合老年人, 怀孕的人, people with lung disease and those with a respiratory infection, 野火产生的烟雾可能很危险.

保护自己远离野火烟雾

当空气因野火而不健康时, 呆在室内，遵循以下步骤, 特别是如果你有呼吸问题:

• 如果无法避免外出，请戴上口罩. Do not rely on cloth face coverings or surgical masks, which cannot filter out smoke particles. An N95 mask approved by NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and 健康) will provide better protection.
• 呆在可以与外界隔绝的房间里.
• Avoid cooking, especially frying or grilling, which can increase indoor air pollution.
• Use an air filter and adjust the air conditioning or heating system to re-circulate air instead of drawing air from the outside.
• 不要吸烟，尤其是在家里.
• 避免使用壁炉或点燃蜡烛或熏香.
• 等到空气质量改善后再用吸尘器. (Vacuuming can re-circulate ash and particles that have settled on surfaces.)
• Follow your doctor’s recommendations if you or a family member have asthma or heart or lung disease.

野火灰

发生大面积火灾时, 它会产生灰烬, 也就是灰尘, 燃烧过的植物和建筑物产生的灰尘和烟灰. Ash from burned buildings can contain chemicals and is more dangerous than ash from trees or plants.

吸入火山灰颗粒会刺激你的鼻子, 喉咙, 呼吸管和肺，还有眼睛和皮肤. When combined with water or perspiration, some ash can cause chemical burns. 如果火灰污染了你的家或财产, follow local safety organizations’ instructions for removing it.