PRESS RELEASE: BUSHFIRE SMOKE – IS THE P2 MASK ENOUGH?
Australia is experiencing a bushfire season of unprecedented magnitude. We have heard many claims about the dangers of smoke inhalation (right or wrong), like “one hour of breathing this smoke is like smoking 14 packets of cigarettes a day” or “the PM index is off the charts, it is too dangerous to breathe outdoor air today”.
At the simplest level, smoke is defined as the incomplete combustion of organic matter. It contains ash and an array of chemical toxins. In addition to carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, the actual composition of the gaseous substance is dependent on what type of vegetation is burning. Altogether these gases reduce an exposed person’s oxygen supply and are similar to the chemical entities emitted from a car’s exhaust system, let alone 14 packets of cigarettes a day.
However, there is one danger that is rarely spoken about …
MOULD TRAVELS … Mould needs particulate matter to travel, whether this is a vegetable particle, a soil particle, a fibre from clothing and yes … ash from a bushfire. (The photos in the attached PDF are of two test slides revealing air quality in Sydney – the first slide on a day in Sydney and the second during the recent bushfire smoke coming over Sydney.
There are limited studies about mould in bushfire smoke, except an article where researchers found ash from a Mexican bushfire in Africa. Due to high winds, the researchers claimed to have found mould from that Mexican locality in AFRICA!
Smoke particles are less than one micron in size, considerably smaller than PM2.5 or PM10, which are used as danger level guidelines for respirable dust. The resulting affect is that smoke particles will settle in surfaces everywhere: in clothes, cars, homes or office spaces. Given a moisture or humidity change, all the mould that came in on the smoke particles will germinate and wreak havoc on surfaces as well as the air that you breathe. Mould has been directly linked to many serious health conditions.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Our advice is don’t wait. Start a disciplined clean down of each room in your house or office using the SAN-AIR Surface Sanitisers. Then use the SAN-AIR preventative gel pots to create a safer indoor air quality environment.
OUR PLEDGE
We want to support our Fire Brigades, so we pledge that we will donate $1 from the sale of every SAN-AIR product purchased during this time to our Bushfire Volunteer Services.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Daniel Massaioli is a UNSW graduate in Pure and Applied Chemistry. A lifelong path dealing with mould has seen him develop expertise in the field of mould prevention, control and remediation. He has written many professional articles on mould prevention. He has invented a range of products with unique natural actives which are being sold internationally to combat and prevent mould in indoor air applications. SAN-AIR AUSTRALIA also carries out domestic and industrial building assessments and remediation.
