As smoke from Canada wildfires affect areas in the northeastern U.S., people may be wondering if returning to mask-wearing or buying air purifiers will help.
Search results for "smoke masks for fire" rose by +100% as of this writing and a search for "air purifier same day delivery" was up +250%. Interest by subregions appeared high in New Jersey, Connecticut and in New York, as "unhealthy" air quality alerts have been prompted in for New York City and much of the Northeast.
New York and New Jersey schools kept children inside for recess Wednesday, as people may be wondering how to take precaution against the pouring smog.
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"All the school activities are canceled for tonight," Jimmy, a Long Island, New York, resident told Fox News Digital. "My wife just picked up kids [and] this is happening and the moms at the bus stop were wearing masks. They weren't wearing masks since the last few months after COVID."
Jimmy, who requested his surname be omitted for privacy reasons, is an employee at a pharmacy located on southern Long Island. He said mask sales have slowed post-pandemic – until today.
"People haven't bought masks in quite some time," he noted, confirming that the N95 masks on the shelf sold out as of Wednesday, around 2:30 p.m. ET. "Today [there] was a little pickup on sales."
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Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, medical toxicologist at the National Capital Poison Center in Washington, D.C. told Fox News Digital that wildfires can release "dangerous pollutant in to the air," which is what causes air quality to drop to unhealthy levels.
"Some of these pollutants are microscopic in size, and after they are inhaled they can pass from the lungs into the bloodstream," Johnson-Arbor said.
"While poor air quality can affect everyone, certain people are more susceptible to the harmful effects of breathing in polluted air," she added. "People who have asthma, heart disease, or other serious illnesses may experience worsening of existing symptoms or may develop new symptoms after breathing in polluted air."
Johnson-Arbor suggested wearing an N-95 mask when outdoors "or in areas with heavy smoke or pollution" to protect yourself amid the wildfires.
"Traditional face masks won’t protect you against wildfire smoke," Johnson-Arbor said. "Stay indoors if possible. If you have underlying heart or lung problems, use air filters or portable air cleaners. Also, keep doors and windows closed, including when in your car."
Here's what health and filtration experts have to say about air purifiers and face masks, in addition to wildfire safety guidance from Ready.gov, an emergency preparedness website run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Keith Lambert, a 30-year pollution control veteran from Corona, California, who's the president at Oxidizers, Inc. – an abatement company – and has participated in air cleaning projects for major transportation, food and defense companies, is a proponent of air purifiers for at-home wildfire response kits.
Lambert told Fox News Digital he recommends people look into buying indoor air filters and filter replacements in order to reduce harmful particles from the air.
"Check, and if needed, replace your home HVAC filters," he said. "Stay indoors as much as possible and look into getting air masks or respirators."
"Your implementation of these four directives will be directly related to how close you are to the front line versus being in the thick of it literally," Lambert continued. "In the end every entry point, filter and seal will play a part."
Air purifiers, which Ready.gov calls "portable air cleaners" or "filters," are mentioned as potential safety tools in a disaster response kit, according to the agency’s wildfire preparedness website.
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Ready.gov advises setting up an air purifier in a closed-off room that's separated from the outside air, which will allow the purifier to clean the air.
"Close all doors and windows. Set up a portable air cleaner to keep indoor pollution levels low when smoky conditions exist," Ready.gov states.
"Use high efficiency filters in your central air conditioning system to capture fine particles from smoke. If your system has fresh air intake, set the system to ‘recirculate’ mode and close the outdoor intake damper," the article continued.
While Ready.gov recommends households have an air purifier handy in case of wildfires or another disaster that can cause air pollution, the emergency response website doesn’t say air purifiers are an absolute must.
"Remember that not everyone can afford to respond by stocking up on necessities," the website notes. "For those who can afford it, making essential purchases and slowly building up supplies in advance will allow for longer time periods between shopping trips."
Being prepared with an emergency kit can minimize a person’s chance of having to take "unnecessary excursions," which alleviates burdens on urgent care centers and hospitals, according to Ready.gov.
Dr. Jie Zhao, the executive vice president and head at Delos Labs in New York City, a data-driven wellness living company, told Fox News Digital that it’s not always possible to leave an area with wildfire smoke, but people can wear face masks to protect themselves from smoke inhalation.
"Wearing a mask can help to an extent, but most masks, such as surgical or regular cloth masks, are not very effective," said Zhao.
"A properly-fitted N95 mask is the only type of mask that can meaningfully reduce the amount of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that you inhale," he explained.
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Ready.gov agrees with the suggestion and advises Americans to pack N95 masks in natural disaster emergency response kits.
The government agency recommends N95 respirator masks because the facial accessory is designed to filter out particles in the air for wearers.
"Use an N95 mask to protect yourself from smoke inhalation or limit your exposure to smoke," Ready.gov advises in its online wildfire preparedness webpage.
If a person is living in a wildfire-affected area but has not been ordered to evacuate, Ready.gov recommends staying inside "safe location" or "community building" where smoke levels are low.
Fox News Digital's Melissa Rudy contributed to this report.
