For this data brief, the Harvard Healthy Buildings team worked with Airthings—a technology company that specializes in indoor air quality monitors for homes, workplaces, and schools—to study how the LA wildfires affected indoor air quality in nearby homes, using real-time data from 1,578 Airthings monitors installed in 1,048 homes across Los Angeles. The data shows how the air quality inside of homes was impacted by episodes of high outdoor PM concentrations during the wildfires.
Key Takeaways:
- LA Wildfires led to elevated PM2.5 levels in homes. Homes located throughout Los Angeles saw an increase in indoor PM2.5 correlated with elevated outdoor levels at the time of the LA fires.
- LA Wildfires impacted home air quality in areas away from the burn zone. The impact of the wildfires extended to homes located more than two miles from the burn area.
- In-home air monitors are useful for wildfire response. Indoor air quality sensors worked well at detecting changes in home PM2.5 concentrations in real time during the wildfires. Monitoring indoor air quality and taking informed precautions (such as wearing N-95 masks, using air filters, closing windows, etc.) are vital to protect health during wildfires and other events that increase outdoor particulate matter.