PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – None of us are strangers to masks today and today Health officials recommend wearing them until air quality improves.
You may have bags full of face masks of all kinds left over from the pandemic, but doctors say N95 and KN95 masks offer the very best protection against the smoke in the air.
It’s best to stay indoors, but if you must spend time outside, a well-fitting N95 mask is the right choice.
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“You really want a higher quality mask that’s more blocking because you just don’t want to have all those particles sitting in your lungs and having to spend the rest of your day coughing them up,” said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole.
According to medical experts, surgical or cloth masks are better than nothing, but they don’t do as well at filtering out those specific particles that are currently in the air.
“We all say I’m tired of masks and I understand that, but just play it safe over the next few days. You don’t know what you’re breathing, but your lungs will tell you, and maybe your eyes will tell you, too, because “You could be quite irritable,” said Dr. Rob Danoff of Jefferson Health.
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dr Danoff also suggested using an air filter device if you have one. Keeping all of these dangerous particles out of our homes and workplaces can be difficult. So when you put the filter into service, it provides another layer of protection.
CBS News Philadelphia’s Liz Crawford covered this story.
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