This webinar is presented by the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health (NCCEH).
Exposure to wildfire smoke poses a significant health risk. Air cleaning or filtration and mask or respirator use are designed to remove or filter out harmful airborne particles, and both are often recommended public health interventions when air quality is poor. The effectiveness of these interventions in mitigating exposure to ambient air pollution from urban sources is well-supported by existing literature. However, evidence on the effectiveness of these devices during wildfire smoke episodes is less clear. To fill this knowledge gap, the National Collaborating Centres for Environmental Health (NCCEH) and Methods and Tools (NCCMT) conducted a series of rapid evidence reviews to better understand the effect of indoor air filtration and mask-use on non-particulate and particulate matter (PM) combustion-derived air pollutant concentrations and human health endpoints.
This presentation will explore the different air cleaning technologies and mask types, and their effectiveness during wildfire episodes. Practical considerations and limitations of these technologies for mitigating wildfire smoke will also be discussed. Finally, this presentation will evaluate evidence gaps on the impact of air cleaners and masks on health outcomes during wildfire episodes, identifying areas for future study.