Smoke gets in your lungs!

Jthanmyfitnesspal

As if we haven't had enough problems, now, in the eastern US, we're getting bad air quality from fires in the west. A few days ago the AQI was well over 180 way out in the suburbs, mostly from particulates. I'm old enough to not want to exercise in those conditions without a face mask.

Wearing the disposable "N95-ish mask" shown below caused all sorts of problems. Aside from the impeded breathing, I found that moisture got all over my face and pooled in the bottom of the cone. (Yuck!) The wetter it got, the harder it was to breath through.

I hope this doesn't go on for the rest of the summer (and the rest of my life... and the rest of human existence...).

Geeze!

Cherimoose

Have you tried a valved N95 mask? It lets air out better. I use 3M's 8511, which fit well.

ccrdragon

We don't have the smoke problem here in Tx, what we have been having lately is dust blown in from the Sahara... make for a beautiful sunrise, but sux for outdoor exercise.

NorthCascades

Welcome to my world. We get a solid month of AQI 200+ most years lately.

The fires in Winthrop WA are starting to be major contributors to the super massive smoke plume choking the continent. These fires will go out in later September or early October when the snow flies. Conflagrations to the south may burn longer. This may be difficult to understand for somebody on the east coast, but we don't have the ability to put these out.

Fire season in Washington normally begins in August. Fire season extends into November in dry California.

NorthCascades

For what it's worth, to anyone reading this in frustration at the brown apocalyptic skies and the disturbing lack of shadows.

Air purifiers work. They push the air through a HEPA filter that removes most particulate matter, leaving clean air and dirty filters. My cat has asthma so we run several in every room, most people would be wise to use one in the bedroom and sleep in good air.

It isn't just trees and campfire you're breathing. The red destroyer wipes towns and small cities off the map. All sorts of nastiness in the air, there's shingles from roofs, paint from buildings and cars, it's terrible.

The west is a tinder box going through a historic drought. This happens every year, the thing that's different is the way the air is circulating. I hear this is the second year it's reached New York. Amazing to think a cloud of smoke could travel 3,000 miles without dissipating. It's an unimaginable amount of smoke. Sometimes white and gray ash rains down from the sky like snow, and we all know it's trees we've hiked by.



∆ 4:51 pm!! 🤯

Jthanmyfitnesspal

This is definitely a challenging summer. We've had pollution around here before, but this smoke is a whole new deal.

Today was very clear and beautiful and I had a fantastic ride!

AnnPT77

FWIW: Don't know whether it would help in your scenario or not, but early in the pandemic I was wearing a mask while walking/cycling in a somewhat crowded park. My friend gave me one of the mask cages that she got in a multi-pack from Amazon. It's not a panacea, but holds the mask away from nose, so I wasn't inhaling soggy mask, which was a help. It looks like this, with the pencil in there for scale:

Jthanmyfitnesspal

@AnnPT77 : I was introduced to those as well. You can't fit it under the N96-style. But, I used it a lot under the standard masks while I exercised. (And, I think it was overkill outdoors, but mandated in my town.)

NorthCascades

I've found nothing that works, and have considered the month forfeit.

I've tried riding a bike slowly enough that I only breathe through my nose. Need low gears to get up the hills that way. It's not a workout, and I'm not burning many calories. It isn't fun.

Walking is ok. You don't breathe extra deeply, it satisfies a need to get out of the house.

Hiking without views takes the fun away.

I've spent more than a very good smart trainer costs on air purifiers. I'll probably get a dumb trainer and use it indoors, assuming it happens this year. Onshore flow (wind blowing west to east) is saving grace right now, but that's broken down to some extent 5 of the last 7 years. Twice for the entire month of August, once for all of September. I am a very nervous North Cascades right now, filled with a sense of dread and inevitability.

springlering62

NorthCascades wrote: »

My cat has asthma

😱 Light bulb moment.

But I’m in Atlanta. We are still get “danger” levels for sensitive groups several days a week, though.

Poor Molly. Maybe she’s a sensitive little petal.

MikePfirrman

I feel for you all. We went through it last year, really bad, in Tucson. The entire mountain 150K acres next to us burned for well over a month and then the hills around San Diego caught fire and blew the smoke here for another two months.

I have a rower on my deck and enjoy working outside. Every time I tried, I'd get a massive headache from all the smoke. It is hard when you enjoy outdoors.

This was last Summer for us (the entire month of June). I live up on that hill in the background. Fire got around 2/3 of a mile from our house.

NorthCascades

springlering62 wrote: »

NorthCascades wrote: »

My cat has asthma

😱 Light bulb moment.

But I’m in Atlanta. We are still get “danger” levels for sensitive groups several days a week, though.

Poor Molly. Maybe she’s a sensitive little petal.

PM me if you'd like detailed advice and info about dealing with cat asthma. We have an inhaler and a device called aerokat, I can't remember the last time we've had to use it because keeping the temperature and humidity where kitty needs it, plus running air purifiers and vacuuming a lot for dust has controlled her symptoms.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

That's funny because cats give me asthma. And, I still love them. (Although, my wife won't let me have one. Sad, really.)

kcjchang

Indoor trainer. As much as I like riding outdoors, the combination of teleworking, heat, & smoke makes riding indoors a necessity during the weekdays as well as the weekends now. It's been a pain trying to get a weekday outdoor ride with DW as a coworker.

NorthCascades

Smoke forecast for tomorrow July 31.

NorthCascades

Cedar Creek fire in Mazama WA.

KiyaK

Yikes. I'd be really wary of wearing N95 while working out. Studies have shown they restrict your oxygen a LOT.

HylesGallii

Perhaps it would help to get a mask that is made to filter pollution as opposed to a N95, which is generally used for sterility in medical settings and such, hence why it is reccomended in the pandemic.

amorfati601070

NorthCascades wrote: »

For what it's worth, to anyone reading this in frustration at the brown apocalyptic skies and the disturbing lack of shadows.

Air purifiers work. They push the air through a HEPA filter that removes most particulate matter, leaving clean air and dirty filters. My cat has asthma so we run several in every room, most people would be wise to use one in the bedroom and sleep in good air.

It isn't just trees and campfire you're breathing. The red destroyer wipes towns and small cities off the map. All sorts of nastiness in the air, there's shingles from roofs, paint from buildings and cars, it's terrible.

The west is a tinder box going through a historic drought. This happens every year, the thing that's different is the way the air is circulating. I hear this is the second year it's reached New York. Amazing to think a cloud of smoke could travel 3,000 miles without dissipating. It's an unimaginable amount of smoke. Sometimes white and gray ash rains down from the sky like snow, and we all know it's trees we've hiked by.



∆ 4:51 pm!! 🤯

That photo looks like something out of sci-fi horror movie, just needs some UFOs in the background.

I just read the IPCC report and the future looks so grim, its pretty disturbing.

NorthCascades

Here's my weekend forecast. I was planning to night hike on Rainier with a good camera and tripod shooting the Perseid meteor shower, we won't be able to see the sky. Asthma kitty is grounded, I made her an indoor glampground to stay in until she can go outside again.

MargaretYakoda

This is what we do in our old house.
And yes. It means no outside exercise.
But it does mean indoor exercise is safe even if you’re really pushing the cardio pretty hard

https://youtu.be/aw7fUMhNov8

Jthanmyfitnesspal

@kiyak and @HylesGallii posted reservations about the use of N95 masks for exercise. I think it depends on your goal.

N95 are about as good as it gets for dust of any kind in terms of filtration for a disposable mask. KN95 is almost as good (that's actually what I used). Better masks (in terms of filtration, not comfort) are made from rubber with canister filters-- I would never use one of those! More comfortable masks are sold for running/cycling, but sometimes these don't actually have any rating at all. Certainly, having an exhale valve improves the function when you only need to protect the wearer.

If you have to go outside and the particulate load is high, an N95 is your best choice. A KN95 would be a good second choice. A running/cycling mask of any kind would be better than nothing. And, a regular surgical mask wouldn't offer much protection at all. An exhale valve is nice, but it means you can't also use the mask for COVID protection indoors.