3 ms·

I think this is hyperbole for the majority of people who do not have existing respiratory or other health conditions. Air quality in SF proper was only bad (by

by nsm 6y ago

I think this is hyperbole for the majority of people who do not have existing respiratory or other health conditions. Air quality in SF proper was only bad (by which I mean Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or above) for roughly a month this year. That certainly doesn't warrant having HEPA filters and P100 masks now in October/November (again, for most people).

cpeterso 6y ago
“Only bad for a month this year“, but these big California fires now happen every year.
- nsm 6y ago
  Sure! Yet, (as I mentioned in a sibling comment) living in a beautiful place with really clean air where one can be outside 11 months of the year is way better than most of the world, so I find this tendency to go "OMG everything is now broken" to be an exaggeration that detracts from the continued value the Bay Area offers.
vecinu 6y ago
This is wishful thinking. Staying for years around an area that gets "only a month" of excessive PM2.5 particles and smoke is unwise and you will soon become someone with an existing respiratory condition. I'm leaving the Bay because I value my health way more than the "lifestyle" offered by living in the Bay. There are many other places in the US (And ESPECIALLY outside the US) that offer a fantastic quality of life.
- cyberdrunk 6y ago
  > Staying for years around an area that gets "only a month" of excessive PM2.5 particles and smoke is unwise and you will soon become someone with an existing respiratory condition. I live in a city which has a serious smog problem in the winter and colder autumn and spring months. Yet most people don't have respiratory conditions.
- nsm 6y ago
  I never implied that one shouldn't take the necessary precautions that you mentioned (respirators, filters) _during_ that month and stay indoors. I am merely stating that "Now we have COVID which means you want to be outside, but fire smoke that you shouldn't breath, so you want to be inside." is a false dichotomy 11 months of the year in the Bay Area, which is not the case for a lot of other places. Coming from a country where the air quality is bad 365 days a year, I appreciate what is possible here, and cannot empathize with this tendency to exaggerate the situation.
762236 6y ago
In the valley it has been nearly continuously elevated AQI since the lightning strikes in late August. There were a few weeks without. But these are particles --- not gas, so your lungs don't expel it once the particles impact and embed in your tissues. The body doesn't really have a way to clean that out that I'm aware of (I'd like to learn that I'm wrong). As an endurance athlete, I move a lot of air, and I want my lungs to be in good shape.

by nsm 6y ago

cpeterso 6y ago

“Only bad for a month this year“, but these big California fires now happen every year.

nsm 6y ago
Sure! Yet, (as I mentioned in a sibling comment) living in a beautiful place with really clean air where one can be outside 11 months of the year is way better than most of the world, so I find this tendency to go "OMG everything is now broken" to be an exaggeration that detracts from the continued value the Bay Area offers.

vecinu 6y ago

This is wishful thinking. Staying for years around an area that gets "only a month" of excessive PM2.5 particles and smoke is unwise and you will soon become someone with an existing respiratory condition. I'm leaving the Bay because I value my health way more than the "lifestyle" offered by living in the Bay. There are many other places in the US (And ESPECIALLY outside the US) that offer a fantastic quality of life.

cyberdrunk 6y ago
> Staying for years around an area that gets "only a month" of excessive PM2.5 particles and smoke is unwise and you will soon become someone with an existing respiratory condition. I live in a city which has a serious smog problem in the winter and colder autumn and spring months. Yet most people don't have respiratory conditions.
nsm 6y ago
I never implied that one shouldn't take the necessary precautions that you mentioned (respirators, filters) _during_ that month and stay indoors. I am merely stating that "Now we have COVID which means you want to be outside, but fire smoke that you shouldn't breath, so you want to be inside." is a false dichotomy 11 months of the year in the Bay Area, which is not the case for a lot of other places. Coming from a country where the air quality is bad 365 days a year, I appreciate what is possible here, and cannot empathize with this tendency to exaggerate the situation.

762236 6y ago

In the valley it has been nearly continuously elevated AQI since the lightning strikes in late August. There were a few weeks without. But these are particles --- not gas, so your lungs don't expel it once the particles impact and embed in your tissues. The body doesn't really have a way to clean that out that I'm aware of (I'd like to learn that I'm wrong). As an endurance athlete, I move a lot of air, and I want my lungs to be in good shape.