Beijing released "Thirteen Questions on Haze Protection"

  CCTV News:In order to help you prevent haze scientifically, today (9th), Beijing Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission and Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention released.Thirteen Questions about Haze Protection.

  1. What is haze?

  Haze is a kind of weather phenomenon that a large number of tiny dust particles, smoke particles or salt particles are suspended in the atmosphere, which makes the air turbid and reduces the horizontal visibility to less than 10 kilometers. Haze is generally milky white, which weakens the color of objects, making bright objects in the distance reddish yellow and dark objects reddish blue.

  Relevant research conducted by Beijing CDC in 2013-2015 found that the main components of smog are water-soluble inorganic ions (nitrate, sulfate and ammonium salt ions, etc.), metals and metalloids (lead, cadmium, arsenic, etc.), and carbon substances (organic carbon and inorganic carbon).

  2. Does smog affect the human body?

  Smog has an impact on the human body! According to the data, the impact of smog on human body is generally divided into direct impact and indirect impact.

  Direct impact: When the concentration of air pollutants rises sharply in a short period of time, people may cause acute harm by inhaling a large amount of pollutants, resulting in respiratory tract and eye irritation symptoms, such as cough, sore throat and headache. If it is exposed for a long time, it will cause chronic inflammation, decreased immunity and allergies.

  Indirect effects: smog can affect our health through long-term indirect effects, such as affecting solar radiation and microclimate, producing greenhouse effect, destroying ozone layer and forming acid rain.

  3. Why should we reduce outdoor activities in foggy weather? 

  Relevant research conducted by Beijing CDC in 2013-2015 shows that the indoor PM2.5 concentration is 30% to 40% lower than the outdoor concentration in severe haze weather, so it is suggested to minimize outdoor activities in haze weather.

  4. Do you want to wear a mask when the smog comes? How to choose? How to wear a mask correctly?

  If you have to go out in foggy days, wearing a mask is the most important protective measure. Any mask has a certain protective effect, but it is recommended to choose a mask with good protection. 

  According to national standards, the protection level of masks is divided into four levels from low to high: D, C, B and A, which correspond to different air quality conditions.

  Grade A corresponds to "serious pollution" and is used when the concentration of PM2.5 reaches 500 micrograms per cubic meter. Grade d corresponds to "moderate and below pollution" and is suitable for situations where the concentration of PM2.5 is less than or equal to 150 micrograms per cubic meter.

  Wearing a mask should follow the instructions for use. When wearing, you must completely cover your nose, mouth and chin, and keep the mask close to your face. The better the tightness, the better the protection effect.

  5. What should I pay attention to when wearing a mask?

  Not everyone is suitable to wear a mask. The tight structure and filter material of the mask will increase the respiratory resistance and reduce the comfort.

  Different groups of people should pay attention to wearing masks: pregnant women should pay attention to their own conditions and choose products with better comfort, such as protective masks with exhalation valves to reduce exhalation resistance and sultry feeling; Children are in the stage of growth and development, and their faces are small, so it is difficult for general masks to achieve the effect of close fitting. It is recommended to choose children’s protective masks produced by regular manufacturers. When the elderly, patients with chronic diseases and special people with respiratory diseases wear masks, it is recommended to use them under the guidance of professional doctors.

  Masks are not suitable for wearing for a long time. On the one hand, pollutants such as particulate matter are adsorbed on the outside of the mask, resulting in an increase in respiratory resistance. On the other hand, bacteria, viruses, etc. in exhaled breath will also accumulate inside the mask. Failure to breathe fresh air for a long time will make people’s own immunity decline.

  Non-disposable masks should be cleaned regularly, and the filter membrane should be replaced. When they are not worn, they should be kept properly.

  6. How to pay attention to personal hygiene after going home for outdoor activities in foggy weather?

  After going out for activities in foggy weather, clothes, nose and mouth, and bare skin will be attached with a large number of pollutants in the smog, which will be harmful to health. Therefore, it is suggested to take off your coat, wash your face, wash your hands, and wash your mouth and nose in time to reduce pollution.

  7. Why should children and the elderly pay more attention to smog protection?

  Children are in the stage of growth and development and are more sensitive to the environment than adults. The elderly have low body resistance and usually suffer from basic diseases. A large amount of dust and particles in the smog will stimulate the respiratory tract and easily cause respiratory irritation symptoms. Therefore, children and the elderly should pay more attention to the protection of smog.

  8. What should I do if there are symptoms such as cough and sore throat in foggy weather?

  The acute harm caused by people inhaling a large amount of pollutants in haze weather is mainly manifested in respiratory tract and eye irritation symptoms, such as cough, sore throat, red swelling and tears in eyes, etc. It is suggested that symptomatic treatment be taken when necessary to alleviate the symptoms.

  It is suggested that sensitive people with basic diseases should reduce outdoor activities in foggy days, but also reduce to crowded places with dirty air, pay attention to personal hygiene, wash their hands frequently, and pay attention to increasing or decreasing clothes at any time to maintain good physical condition.

  9. How do families choose air purifiers?

  The air purifier has a certain effect on purifying the air. When selecting, the first thing to do is to make clear the purpose of use, and to buy a purifier with purification effect on PM2.5.

  Second, we should pay attention to the performance indicators of the purifier. According to national standards, a truly effective air purifier should achieve the energy efficiency index of "three highs and one low".

  High clean headroom: The clean air volume (CADR) is the purification effect index of the purifier. The greater the CADR value, the stronger the purification ability of the purifier and the better the purification effect.

  High cumulative purification capacity: The higher the cumulative purification capacity (CCM) value, the more pollutants to be purified and the longer the life of the filter screen.

  High energy efficiency value: The higher the energy efficiency level, the more energy is saved.

  Low noise level: the working noise of the instrument is generally lower than 50 decibels, which is relatively quiet. When purchasing, you can observe the prototype for intuitive feeling. 

  Thirdly, in order to achieve the purification effect, the air purifier must be turned on for a certain period of time according to the room area, the power and purification efficiency of the purifier, so as to effectively reduce the pollution degree of indoor pollutants. Pay attention to the product manual when purchasing. Generally, the product manual indicates the test report or certificate of conformity issued by the air purification effect testing unit. Products that have not given experimental conditions and are too simple or even absolute should be purchased carefully.

  10. What should I pay attention to when using the air purifier?

  Attention should be paid to the purification effect of the air purifier during use, and it is suggested to replace or clean the filter material according to the product instructions. If it is found that the purification effect is obviously reduced, or that there is an odor after the air purifier is turned on, it is necessary to replace the filter material and clean the filter in time. Moreover, the purification materials in the air purifier also have a service life. In order to avoid secondary pollution, they should be replaced in time according to the pollution degree and service time. When indoor pollution is serious, the replacement frequency of filter media can be increased. Self-protection should be done when replacing the internal materials of the air purifier. For example, gloves and masks should be worn when replacing the filter screen to prevent contact and inhalation of trapped harmful substances during replacement.

  11. Does smoking affect indoor air?

  Indoor smoking has a great influence on indoor air. The experimental data of Beijing CDC show that the indoor PM2.5 concentration can reach more than 500 micrograms per cubic meter when one cigarette is burned in a 30 cubic meter experimental cabin. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid smoking indoors in foggy weather.

  12. How do families cook reasonably in foggy weather?

  Home cooking is also an important source of indoor PM2.5 Relevant research by Beijing CDC shows that the instant PM2.5 concentration can exceed 800 micrograms per cubic meter even if the cooking methods such as frying, frying and frying are used in the kitchen (doors and windows are closed). And can spread to the living room, bedroom and so on to a certain extent. However, the concentration of PM2.5 in the kitchen does not change much when cooking by steaming or boiling.

  Therefore, it is suggested that when cooking in foggy weather, the kitchen door should be closed and the range hood should be turned on; During the period of heavy pollution, try to steam and cook; After cooking, you should continue to turn on the range hood for 5 to 15 minutes.

  13. How to pay attention to the indoor environmental sanitation in foggy weather?

  The indoor activities of human beings increase in foggy weather, which will lead to the gradual increase of indoor PM2.5 concentration when doors and windows are closed. Therefore, in heavily polluted weather, wet cleaning method should be adopted for indoor cleaning, and wet mops and rags should be used for indoor cleaning, and the frequency should be increased appropriately. If the smog clears, open the window in time for ventilation for at least 15 minutes. (CCTV reporter Zhang Jing)