Western wildfires having big impact on indoor air quality across the country

Unfortunately it appears that large wildfires out west and other parts of the world are increasing in frequency. These fires not only make the outside air in the region extremely unhealthy but smoke from fires can travel on jet streams surprisingly long distances and this week the eastern seaboard is feeling the effects from the fires out west. Outdoor air quality alerts went up for most of the east coast, but what can catch building managers off guard is the buildup of particulates inside their facilities and just how poor their indoor air quality can become.

Yesterday Aircuity customers checked their dashboards and saw steep increases in indoor particulates. In fact, over 30 customer sites had indoor particle levels so high compared to typical levels that Aircuity’s analytic flagged them as “failed high” and sent an alert as if there was a sensor issue. There wasn’t an Aircuity issue, simply an extreme outdoor air quality event influencing the air quality indoors.

So what can you do to bring particle levels down indoors while the wildfire smoke looms? It is important to evaluate the effectiveness of your building’s air filtration systems and easing back on your outdoor air intake on days with poor air quality should be considered. All building managers right now are looking for better indoor air quality (to combat COVID, outdoor air issues, increase staff productivity and more) while also reducing their carbon footprint. Aircuity helps you achieve both with accurate, continuous measurement and management of IAQ parameters.

(data from customer sites downwind of wildfires showing spike in indoor particles )

Pittsburgh, PA
New York, NY
Binghamton, NY
Worcester, MA
Mississauga, ON Canada