Breathing Wildfire Smoke In MA Equal To Smoking 9 Cigarettes: Doctor

Wildfire smoke created days of yellow, orange, apocalyptic skies this week with a burning smell across Massachusetts, creating dangerous conditions for many who breathed in the fire-roasted air.

Breathing in the air is the equivalent of smoking multiple cigarettes, Dr. Jonathan M. Tan, division chief of General Anesthesiology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told AccuWeather.

• 30+ MA Beaches Closed As Smoky Haze Makes Comeback

That's because of PM2.5, tiny particles that are also found in cigarette smoke and can travel deep into the lungs.

Three days of Air Quality Advisories across the Bay State were lifted on Friday, according to the National Weather Service, as a shift in the weather pattern pushed the smoke plumes out of New England.

"Scientists have found that an air quality reading of about 20 on the AQI scale is roughly like smoking one cigarette a day," Tan said. "So when the AQI climbs into the 150+ range for a full day outside, that’s in the ballpark of 7 to 9 cigarettes."

How To Stay Safe

The IEPA gave the following tips to stay safe during hazardous air quality:

• Stay indoors and monitor your breathing, especially if you have heart or lung disease, and keep windows and doors closed.
• If your air conditioner has a fresh air intake, set your system to recirculate or close the intake.
• Use high-efficiency filters in air conditioning systems and portable air cleaners.
• Avoid activities that create more particulate matter indoors, like smoking or burning candles.
• If you cannot avoid working or other outdoor activities, then choose shorter or less intense activities, consider rescheduling if possible, and take more frequent breaks.
• Consider wearing a high-quality N-95 or N-100 mask to filter damaging particles while outdoors.

While the smoke arrived with little warning earlier this week — darkening skies but also keeping temperatures from soaring to near 100 degrees as had been previously forecast — the NWS is not forecasting a return to the murky conditions over the next few days.

See Latest Forecast (NWS):

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 85. West wind 10 to 13 mph.

Friday Night

Areas of smoke after 10pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southwest wind around 6 mph.

Saturday

A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4 p.m. Areas of smoke before 3 p.m. Increasing clouds, with a high near 87. Breezy, with a southwest wind 6 to 11 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday Night

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 2 a.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., then a chance of showers after 3 a.m.

Low around 69. Southwest wind 14 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday

Sunny, with a high near 80. Northwest wind 11 to 13 mph.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 61. West wind 3 to 6 mph.

Monday

Sunny, with a high near 85. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Tuesday

A chance of showers after 5 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. South wind 6 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday Night

Showers, mainly after 10 p.m. Low around 70. South wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Wednesday

Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Southwest wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. West wind 5 to 7 mph.

Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 84. Northwest wind around 7 mph.