Air Quality = shitty

[ntblanks]

driving in to Smokane a few hrs ago.

[GoldMember]

AQI in Spokane is currently 196. We never got the rain we were forecasted to get.

[shroom]

we got some in the valley, but ya, shits nasty. gonna regret this bike ride

[climberevan]

60 is about my limit for exercising beyond a casual pace.

When it gets over 100 I roll like this whenever I'm outside. It's pretty fantastic.

[stalefish3169]

Portland has been remarkably clear until the last few days. Just a bit of high smoke and haze so far. Feels like it's gonna be a miracle if we don't get the nasty soon. HEPA on blast and back up filter ready.

Vibes to everyone taking one for the team so far. What will Western summers be like in a decade?

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[Meadow Skipper]

Solution.

[TBS]

^^^well, it is an easily scalable solution…
Kinda like putting monkeys at typewriters
Guess you could also recruit every guy with a leaf blower

[jono]

60 is about my limit for exercising beyond a casual pace.

When it gets over 100 I roll like this whenever I'm outside. It's pretty fantastic.

You ever ride in that thing? I just opened one of those and I kinda want to put a trunk on that elephant nose and go for a ride. But the humidity is brutal I don't want to pull it off halfway up the hill.

[jono]

Solution.

Can't believe I missed that, that's awesome!

[Timberridge]

Looks like Beijing out there.

[BmillsSkier]

Looks like Beijing out there.

You better hope Spook puts in a good word with the CCP before they catch wind of that comment.

[altasnob]

Beijing currently at 50. Spokane 250.

I wonder if this Summer's crappy air in the inland PNW will keep everyone from Seattle and Portland from moving to Spokane and Missoula?

[bagtagley]

We’ve been hovering around 70 for a couple weeks now. We got nothing on you westerners, I know, but it still sucks.

[climberevan]

You ever ride in that thing? I just opened one of those and I kinda want to put a trunk on that elephant nose and go for a ride. But the humidity is brutal I don't want to pull it off halfway up the hill.

I've worn the respirator with P100 cartridges like that for up to 8h hours working or driving, but never tried really exercising in it. It's really easy to breathe through (much better than an N95 disposable mask), but eventually it just gets old having the silicone smashed into my nose. If it's bad enough to warrant the P100 I just ride the trainer beside my big ass HEPA air cleaner.

My strategy starting next year is going to be to make sure I don't have any projects going from mid-June through Oct so that I can bail to better air for weeks if necessary. I think this is the future of the western US.

[rod9301]

I've worn the respirator with P100 cartridges like that for up to 8h hours working or driving, but never tried really exercising in it. It's really easy to breathe through (much better than an N95 disposable mask), but eventually it just gets old having the silicone smashed into my nose. If it's bad enough to warrant the P100 I just ride the trainer beside my big ass HEPA air cleaner.

My strategy starting next year is going to be to make sure I don't have any projects going from mid-June through Oct so that I can bail to better air for weeks if necessary. I think this is the future of the western US.

Agree

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[Kinnikinnick]

Yowzer


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[schindlerpiste]

Yesterday at my house 157 on unhealthy air index


The car didn’t like it one bit

[bodywhomper]

Yowzer


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To get more accurate/appropriate aqi values for smoke, set the “conversion” to “lrapa.”

[bearcub69]

Denver ranks as worst air quality in the world today.. a few days ago it was SLC. Pretty damn brutal around here.

[climberevan]

To get more accurate/appropriate aqi values for smoke, set the “conversion” to “lrapa.”

If you can offer it, I'd love to hear an "explain it to me like I'm a 5th grader" breakdown of the various conversions and why they might more accurately reflect the air quality than the raw measurement. I've just kind of decided to calibrate myself to the base Purpleair number but am open to other options.

[bodywhomper]

If you can offer it, I'd love to hear an "explain it to me like I'm a 5th grader" breakdown of the various conversions and why they might more accurately reflect the air quality than the raw measurement. I've just kind of decided to calibrate myself to the base Purpleair number but am open to other options.

Here’s the half drunk post that I wrote to a friend last night.
“it’s amathematical conversion used to convert the data to match the government’s aqi methods for measurement to apply the health factor specifically for wood smoke. It was developed by Oregon’s Lane Regional Air Protection Agency.”

It’s explained in too much detail here: https://www2.purpleair.com/community...urpleair-map-1

While we’re unable to say what factor would be best for a particular scenario and cannot make health recommendations, we’re glad to provide more information to help users better understand this option on the map.

We’ll start with why the conversion factors were created. Our PurpleAir sensors measure particulate matter (PM). Particulate matter is used to describe a mixture of inhalable particles - solid and liquid - suspended in the air and is grouped by size, such as PM2.5 and PM10. (The number refers to the diameter of the particle in microns.) These airborne particles can originate from dust, smoke, and other organic and inorganic sources. However, particles from these sources can be the same size but have different densities. For instance, PM2.5 from wildfire smoke will have a different density than PM2.5 from dust blowing off a gravel pit.

Secondly, PurpleAir sensors use laser particle counters that measure the particle count, before converting that count into a mass concentration. The purpose of this is to make it comparable to data reported by regulatory sensors. To do this, the laser counters must assume an average particle density. An average density must be used because, as mentioned above, not all particulate matter of a certain size has the same density. For example, if you weighed 1000 particles of wildfire smoke and 1000 particles generated from gravel dust, the wildfire smoke would be much lighter. In the case where the predominant source of PM2.5 is from wildfire smoke that has a lighter density than the assumed density used by the sensor, the sensor data will predictably overestimate the mass concentration and read higher than the regulatory monitor. Similarly, if the predominant source of PM2.5 was a more dense material like gravel dust, the sensor data would predictably underestimate the mass concentration and read lower than the regulatory monitors (such as those used to report to AirNow.gov, Weather Underground, etc.).

According to this recent study published by researchers in Australia, the AQ&U conversion factor has proven very effective in conditions involving wood smoke as a major pollution source. The LRAPA conversion factor is very effective as well; it was developed by Oregon’s Lane Regional Air Protection Agency for their particular area during a smoke event caused by wildfires.

Additionally, the EPA has developed their own conversion factor for wildfire and woodsmoke conditions. (The study they used to create this factor can be viewed here.) On the PurpleAir map, each sensor’s map marker can only display real-time data with the EPA conversion factor applied. On the sensor’s graph window, however, you can view the data for a variety of averaging times using the EPA conversion factor. AirNow’s Fire and Smoke Map has a similar factor applied to its data.

[JPaul]

^ Thanks for that info

[fool]

Here’s the half drunk post that I wrote to a friend last night.
“it’s amathematical conversion used to convert the data to match the government’s aqi methods for measurement to apply the health factor specifically for wood smoke. It was developed by Oregon’s Lane Regional Air Protection Agency.”

It’s explained in too much detail here: https://www2.purpleair.com/community...urpleair-map-1

Thanks, bodywhomper.

Now that I've switched from Purple Air's base setting to LARPA, my current location has now indicates ~60 rather than ~120. How would you say LARPA applies to the recommendation of not exercising above 100? IE - is the 60 the accurate number and because it's less than a 100, exercise is mostly ok?

The ~100 guideline is just something I've heard and is somewhat supported here: https://www.wired.com/story/west-coa...fire-infernos/

[bodywhomper]

Thanks, bodywhomper.

Now that I've switched from Purple Air's base setting to LARPA, my current location has now indicates ~60 rather than ~120. How would you say LARPA applies to the recommendation of not exercising above 100? IE - is the 60 the accurate number and because it's less than a 100, exercise is mostly ok?

The ~100 guideline is just something I've heard and is somewhat supported here: https://www.wired.com/story/west-coa...fire-infernos/

I think with the conversion to “lrapa,” the aqi health warnings are applicable for smoke (pm2.5). I’ve noticed that some purple air stations never seem to match the regulator’s stations in some area. Last year, mammoth lakes stations were really off and pretty confusing. I’ve heard some that know a lot about the technology state that the inexpensive purple air stations came easily be giving inaccurate readings.

Today, we got some wind that blew out the smoke from the Dixie Fire. I used the local air district hourly avg reporting mostly to confirm what I was seeing on purple air, and I used purple air stations closer to me (I live in a river canyon), toggling between 10 minute, 30 minute, and 1 hr to observe and confirm the trending change. Our aqi was 350-500 for several days. earlier today when it started to clear up, it seemed SO nice and much better, but AQI was still 200+. My neighbor farmer was out working with his little son in it and many neighbors were being active outside. I was working outside, too, but kept my cheap n95 mask on until it was finally better (under 100). Opening up the house tonight has been really nice!

There can be many smokey days in the Sierra foothills and I don’t mess around with not wearing a respirator mask when it’s unhealthy or worst. I feel bad watching the kids out in it.

I’m pretty sure purple air doesn’t monitor surface level ozone. That’s another hazard where I live. I just watch the air district site and their forecasting tool to try to stay out of it when it’s bad.

[skifishbum]

may

yesterday