Do Face Masks Help With Wildfire Smoke? Yes, But More Is Needed
Do Face Masks Help With Wildfire Smoke? Yes, But More Is Needed
口罩对野火烟雾有帮助吗？是的，但还需要更多防护措施
Wildfire season is fully upon us—and with it, the smoke. The most spectacular threat of a wildfire is of course the possibility it might directly threaten lives and homes, like the wildfires last year that devastated Los Angeles. 野火季节已经全面到来，随之而来的是烟雾。野火最直接的威胁当然是它可能直接危及生命和家园，就像去年摧毁洛杉矶的那些野火一样。
But it is the smoke and the stinging haze—and especially the invisible particulate matter borne aloft for hundreds of miles—that is most likely to pose grave health risks to millions across the country, as wildfires rage in Canada and across the American West during summer months. Cardiac deaths spike after wildfires. So do visits to lung doctors. Smoke is bad for you. 但最有可能对全国数百万人构成严重健康风险的，是烟雾和刺眼的霾，尤其是那些被带到数百英里高空、肉眼不可见的颗粒物。随着夏季加拿大和美国西部野火肆虐，野火过后心脏病死亡人数激增，看肺科医生的次数也随之增加。烟雾对你的健康有害。
The more we know about the health effects of wildfire particulates in the air, the worse the effects seem to be. Many of the tiny particulates in wildfire smoke are both highly inflammatory and small enough to enter the bloodstream after entering through the lungs. They might then swim in your blood for weeks. High concentrations of particles smaller than 2.5 microns (PM 2.5) can harm developing lungs, lower fertility, damage mental health and ability to concentrate, and increase risks of health conditions ranging from stroke to heart disease to lung cancer. 我们对空气中野火颗粒物健康影响的了解越多，其后果似乎就越严重。野火烟雾中的许多微小颗粒不仅具有高度炎症性，而且小到足以在进入肺部后进入血液循环。它们随后可能会在你的血液中停留数周。高浓度的 2.5 微米以下颗粒物（PM 2.5）会损害发育中的肺部、降低生育能力、损害心理健康和专注力，并增加从中风、心脏病到肺癌等各种健康问题的风险。
Health risks from wildfire smoke are especially troubling for immunocompromised people and people with asthma, says Heidi Huber-Stearns, director of the Center for Wildfire Smoke Research and Practice at the University of Oregon. But even healthy children are vulnerable. 俄勒冈大学野火烟雾研究与实践中心主任海蒂·胡伯-斯特恩斯（Heidi Huber-Stearns）表示，野火烟雾带来的健康风险对免疫功能低下者和哮喘患者尤其令人担忧。但即使是健康的儿童也同样脆弱。
“This is an issue for developing lungs, whether or not they seem to be visibly suffering or wheezy,” Huber-Stearns told WIRED. “It doesn’t have to be a kid who has other health issues. It’s all kids.” “这对发育中的肺部来说是个问题，无论他们看起来是否明显感到不适或喘息，”胡伯-斯特恩斯告诉《连线》（WIRED）。“这不仅仅针对有其他健康问题的孩子，而是所有的孩子。”
The best policy during hazardous air quality warnings is to stay at home near a good air purifier. But this isn’t possible for all people. Here’s how to keep your lungs and your family safe as the air fills with health-damaging soot. If you’re more worried about the fire than the smoke, check out WIRED’s guide to emergency preparedness for tips on how to safeguard your home and plan a bug-out bag. 在空气质量危险预警期间，最好的策略是待在家里，靠近一台好的空气净化器。但这并非对所有人可行。当空气中充满危害健康的烟尘时，以下是如何保护你的肺部和家人的方法。如果你比起烟雾更担心火灾，请查看《连线》的应急准备指南，获取关于如何保护家园和准备应急包的建议。
Know the Air Quality Where You Live
了解你所在地区的空气质量
The first line of defense is always intelligence. Wildfire haze and taint have become an unavoidable fact of summer life in the western United States—and increasingly in the Northeast, as Canadian wildfires send a stream of eye-squinting haze into America’s most populous corridor. 第一道防线永远是信息。野火带来的霾和污染已成为美国西部夏季生活中不可避免的事实，而且在东北部也日益严重，因为加拿大的野火将一股股刺眼的霾吹向了美国人口最稠密的走廊地带。
Airnow.gov is a partnership among multiple federal agencies, aggregating data from thousands of air quality monitoring stations. It’s also likely the most up-to-date source of information on air quality in any given neighborhood, including forecasts for the coming days and weeks. Punch in your zip code to see the air quality index in your area and the most prominent pollutants. Airnow.gov 是多个联邦机构之间的合作项目，汇集了数千个空气质量监测站的数据。它也可能是获取任何特定社区空气质量信息最及时的来源，包括未来几天和几周的预报。输入你的邮政编码，即可查看你所在地区的空气质量指数（AQI）和最主要的污染物。
In general, if the air quality index is higher than 150, sensitive individuals should avoid being outdoors for prolonged periods and consider masking with N95 respirators. This group can include children, older people, people with lung disorders, and immunocompromised people. 通常情况下，如果空气质量指数高于 150，敏感人群应避免长时间在户外活动，并考虑佩戴 N95 口罩。这一群体包括儿童、老年人、肺部疾病患者和免疫功能低下者。
At an AQI above 200, denoted by the color red on Airnow’s map, this advice applies to everyone, regardless of health status. Wear masks. Stay in clean air spaces when possible. Outdoor physical exertion should especially be avoided. 当 AQI 指数超过 200（在 Airnow 地图上显示为红色）时，无论健康状况如何，上述建议适用于所有人。请佩戴口罩。尽可能待在空气洁净的空间里。尤其应避免户外体力活动。
Use an Air Purifier to Create a Clean Air Space
使用空气净化器创造洁净空气空间
If you can afford it, the best tool for keeping your home particulate-free is a high-quality air purifier to remove dangerous particulate matter from your air. While you might not have the budget to blanket your home in purifiers, a more achievable goal for many during a hazardous air-quality event is to create one “clean air space” in your home, says Huber-Stearns. 如果经济条件允许，保持家中无颗粒物的最佳工具是高质量的空气净化器，它可以清除空气中危险的颗粒物。胡伯-斯特恩斯表示，虽然你可能没有预算在家里铺满净化器，但对于许多人来说，在空气质量恶劣期间，一个更可行的目标是在家中创造一个“洁净空气空间”。
If a $400 device isn’t in the budget, Huber-Stearns notes that a DIY box fan filter will do in a pinch. This is not major surgery, and mostly involves duct-taping an appropriately sized MERV 13-certified air filter over the front of a fan. 如果 400 美元的设备超出预算，胡伯-斯特恩斯指出，应急时自制的箱式风扇过滤器也能凑合。这并不是什么大工程，主要就是用胶带将一个尺寸合适的 MERV 13 认证空气过滤器贴在风扇前面。
Studies show that a basic box filter can be comparably effective to a store-bought purifier, according to Huber-Stearns, as long as you make sure to replace the filters when they start to appear dirty. In a smoke event, this can happen fast. Stock up. 据胡伯-斯特恩斯称，研究表明，只要确保在过滤器变脏时及时更换，基本的箱式过滤器在效果上可以与市售净化器相媲美。在烟雾事件中，过滤器变脏的速度很快。请多储备一些。