Companies sell activated carbon filters (also called “charcoal filters” or “carbon air filters”) to remove chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene, but does carbon really work to remove VOCs? The Smart Air lab put real-world carbon air filters to the test. Who Needs Carbon Filters Anyway? I wrote early on that …
In recent months, the Japanese Pitta masks have seen a surge in popularity in Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai, as well as in India, the US and South Korea. They look sleek, but are the Pitta masks actually effective at filtering PM2.5, bacteria and viruses? Data shows that Japan’s air …
With mask shortages during the coronavirus outbreak, some doctors are sanitizing masks with alcohol so they can re-use them. But this raises questions about whether alcohol actually works and whether it degrades the masks. Does Alcohol Kill Viruses? The research on alcohol is clear. Alcohol kills viruses. Technically, viruses aren’t alive, …
In the rush to make homemade masks, many people are wondering whether reusable bags such as non-woven polypropylene plastic bags are effective at filtering viruses. These reusable bags are incredibly popular in places like Asia and Africa, where they are a common alternative to flimsy plastic shopping bags. Why Non-Woven …
Cheyenne air quality exceeded the WHO annual limits on more than one-of third of the days from 2020 to 2021. Due to wildfire smoke from wildfires out west, Cheyenne air quality more than 3 times the daily recommended limit of dangerous PM2.5 pollutants on its worse day in 2020 and …
Santa Fe air quality exceeded the WHO annual limits on almost one-tenth of the days from 2020 to 2021. Due to wildfire smoke from wildfires out west, Santa Fe air quality averaged nearly 3 times the daily recommended limit of dangerous PM2.5 pollutants on its worse day in 2021. Current …
Salt Lake City air quality exceeded the WHO annual limits on more than one-third of days from 2020 to 2021. Due to wildfire smoke from wildfires out west, Salt Lake City air quality averaged nearly 3 times the WHO daily recommended limit of dangerous PM2.5 pollutants on its worse day …
Denver air quality exceeded the WHO annual limits on more than one-of third of the days from 2020 to 2021. Due to wildfire smoke from wildfires out west, Denver air quality averaged nearly 3 times the daily recommended limit of dangerous PM2.5 pollutants on its worse day in 2021. Current …
Current Portland Air Quality (2021 Wildfire Live Readings) Portland air quality exceeded the WHO annual limits on nearly one-fifth of days from 2020 to 2021. Despite the low percentage, Portland’s air quality averaged over 40 times the WHO recommended limit of dangerous PM2.5 pollutants on its worse day in 2020. …
