Wildfires have made smoke snowy days in California

Wildfire smoke presents a considerable risk that goes well beyond a few days of coughing or headaches. According to Kristie Ebie, a professor of global public health at the University of Washington, breathing through the smoke of a forest fire spreads to other parts of the body due to the nature harmful to the tiny debris that smoke causes. "It affects not only the lungs but also the human systems," she says. Recent research shows that absorption can lead to cardiac arrest, stroke and other life-threatening consequences.

With children coming home from school, homeworkers and few ways to safely leave the home, Northern Californians are looking for an outlet for respite. "It's very difficult because everyone is locked up," said Aubrey Hirsch as she sat on the floor of a Berkeley public library and built a Lego boat with her son, whose school was closed Friday. The boy was happy to have his day off, but Hirsch, a writer, lost a day of work.

Local authorities have encouraged residents to look for libraries as a safe destination for those who need or want to leave their homes, and especially for those who do not have home air filtration or air conditioning systems. , which can help eliminate the smoke that infiltrates Friday morning, every place at the scheduled storytelling time at the Berkeley Library was filled.

Private companies have also been flooded. Annie Frey, owner of The Rec Room, a "fun cafe" in Berkeley, said she reached maximum capacity by 10 am every day of the week. Overall, business has increased five-fold. Frey says she's considering donating some of the extra profits to the Red Cross.

For those who go out, public health officials encouraged residents of the area to use masks. But the types that act as an effective filter against the dangerous particles contained in forest fire smoke are hard to find in the Bay Area, and the most commonly available types are not universally useful. Dawn Danby, an eco-designer in Oakland, has not been lucky enough to find his N95 family masks, which block 95% of airborne particles. "It is particularly difficult to get small masks for children who work very fast," she says. Danby has charged his 5 year old daughter and mother visiting a car for the next few days in the south of the region, where the quality of the air is less dangerous.

Air quality is not expected to improve significantly in northern California until at least Wednesday, creating greater logistical nightmares over individual struggles. In the face of increasing social media pressure to prioritize the safety of student athletes, the University of California at Berkeley has rescheduled Saturday its Saturday match against Stanford, its biggest football game of the season (The Big Game), which will take place in December. 1.