According to US experts, simple protective masks used in the fight against the coronavirus are not enough to protect against health risks particles in smoke from fires. A recent study also makes the link between severe forms of Covid-19 and forest fires.
Currently, hundreds of firefighters are struggling with fires in the south of France, in the departments of Aude and Vaucluse. In the fire ravaging the hinterland of Saint-Tropez, no less than 5,000 hectares burned and caused a death. As many people are evacuated, a question arises:are simple Covid-19 protective masks effective in protecting themselves?
The answer is no, since smoke particles are extremely fine. Indeed, their diameter is less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5). In reality, only FFP2 masks with a very fine mesh offer optimal protection, both against particles in the smoke of fires and against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
In a publication of the Harvard Gazette on August 13, 2021, researcher from the bio-statistics department of Harvard University Francesca Dominici reminds us that residents should not wait to smell the smoke to limit their outdoor activities. Indeed, this attitude is essential as soon as the first alerts appear regarding air quality. The goal is to avoid any action that requires deep breathing. The ideal is therefore to stay at home by keeping the doors and windows closed as much as possible. The person concerned thus recalls that the best protection against smoke from forest fires is simply to avoid any exposure.
The study published in the journal Science Advances shows that thousands of serious cases (and deaths) from coronavirus are potentially attributable to increased air pollution caused by fine smoke particles from forest fires. The cases involved people exposed to fires between March and December 2020 in the states of California, Oregon and Washington (USA).
According to Francesca Dominici, the study represents support for policy makers. Its content reveals important insights into how climate change – by increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires – can aggravate an already existing global crisis , in this case the one related to the coronavirus.
