Is anyone else bothered by the air quality index?

@rozie83 Absolutely! I live 1/2 the year in Minnesota, 1/2 in far South Texas. I have asthma, bronchiectasis, and a long list of allergies. In addition to normal allergens like pollens, we are exposed to smoke (wildfires in MN, wildfires and agricultural burning in TC). I can tell i the morning, before ever opening windows, whether it will be an indoor day or an outdoor day.
Using a HEPA indoor air filter helps us a lot. We use portable, indoor units sized to our living spaces.

Thank you, Sue. I have 3 air filters with hepa filter. On indoor days I don't open my windows or patio door. I am sorry you are also affected by air quality. Something I never thought about until now. Roz

I also rely heavily on how the air quality is (asthma and Bronchiectasis) and I have a couple of apps that I consult, in addition to several HEPA filters in the house. But, like Sue, I can often tell with the tightness in my chest how the air is before I have even seen the air quality reading. That often surprises me - that I can just tell, even with all of the windows closed. I live in Maine. So, when one has gone practically half the year shut in due to the cold, avoiding germs, or the smoke from fireplaces and wood stoves in the neighborhood, and then a nice, warm day is “taken away” due to poor air quality, it can be frustrating!

@wsbme74 I TOTALLY understand. We spent over 1/2 of last summer under Air Quality Alerts. I felt like a kid stuck in the house with chicken pox watching the whole neighborhood play outdoors!
I finally figured out that I could be outside in my N95 mask for up to several hours.

I get it. Mask is good idea. I just have to figure out how to get it on. Thanks. Roz

Air quality has always been a problem for me. I have bronchiectasis, MAI, copd, allergies. We use to live above Sacramento, CA. in the foothills. High wildfire risk and several summers with a couple of large fires and horrible air quality. Totally relate to the stuck in the house with a/c with temperatures in the 100's.
Luckily we were able to move to the central coastal area last year and it has been a quality of life saver for me. I still run 4 air filters as there are still allergies. But the cooler air and sea breezes are giving me back an outdoor life. Still masking when going into stores and try to avoid big crowds.

Hi Roz, absolutely! I live in Scottsdale and I agree anything over 40. Unfortunately, the masks don't block ozone. I am sensitive to particulate, pollen, PM10/PM25 and ozone. I think ozone is high almost daily in the summer, and pollen gets me spring and fall. During the winter I take walks throughout my neighborhood and smell many of the chimneys on those no burn days. I have eosinophilic asthma, bronchiectasis, and an NTM. I run a HEPA filter in bedroom and den/living room.

@sheila9 Glad you are able to spend time outside with your recent move. Roz

I also have air purifiers running all the time. Hepa filter and preliminary filter in each purifier. Roz

@kathyjjb @sueinmn
Hi all -- We had such bad ozone numbers here in NYC last summer that I started looking into the mask issue. There are a couple brands of KN95 masks on Amazon with an activated carbon layer added, which is said to be effective against ozone. I bought "5-PLY BlueEagle Disposable Face Masks" ... Couldn't tell if rheyt work? And there's no standardization or objective evaluation, so ... who knows? I can't understand why there's so little attention to this when it's well known that ozone is a real problem. These masks are not super expensive so I thought worth a try.