First, I’m not questioning the recommendation to stay indoors, or that poor air quality is bad for your health.
I don’t understand how staying inside is better, especially in homes (like mine) that don’t have central ventilation or air filters. My home isn’t air-tight, and I can’t recycle the air I’m breathing out – so there must be new air coming in from outside.
Can anyone explain *why* it’s safer to stay indoors? How is the air inside safer to breathe?
In: 2
The degree of egress into your home depends on a lot of things, namely the nature of the openings leading outside and the difference in air characteristics (pressure, temperature, humidity). Can air blow directly in with real volume or do you mean seeping through tiny cracks here and there? With windows closed, even with many cracks, the air exchange is likely minimal.
Additionally…
Let’s say you have a window mounted AC unit. It will typically have a filter which will block large particulate matter (what you can see and smell), and the pressure from the air blowing in will push air out everywhere else that it can.
Also, air inside tends to be quite still, allowing particulate matter that is merely suspended to settle out.
However, the most dangerous pollution is the kind you often cannot see or smell – in the PM2.5 and lower range. A window AC and your nose cannot protect against this. You cannot tell it’s there, and it goes deep into your lungs. In this case, it’s better to remove window AC entirely to minimize air exchange.
If possible, I’d recommend getting yourself an indoor HEPA filter. They aren’t terribly expensive, especially if you just want to filter 1-2 rooms. I don’t know about supply at the moment… might be tight.
EDIT: I’d also add, don’t cook anything on the stove top, especially if it’s a gas stove. Indoor air quality gets very bad when you do, and in this situation you cannot vent it outside.
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