[jvanderbot]

During wildfire season (which was never a thing for most the USA, but now is thanks to Canadian wildfires and climate change), it's really helpful to get instant particle counts indoors and outdoors. Indoors, you can mitigate with "circulation" mode on your hvac system (to filter through the furnace fitler), or by running air purifiers. Outdoors you can just avoid exposure by coming inside / avoiding trips.

[dylan604]

That seems like at strange dig at Canada. Since I was a kid, we’ve known about California wildfires even though I’m not from California. Your comment makes it sound like Americans have never had to deal with wildfire smoke pollution until Canada caught fire. That’s just not true

[jvanderbot]

"Thanks to" was never meant to be a dig! It's certainly not their fault that their forests are drying out, probably from climate change. Wildfires are a tough ecological management problem.

But yes, the upper midwest and east coast essentially never have had to deal with wildfire smoke like we have now. It's as bad as when I lived in LA, but there we expected it. People in Minnesota, for example, are totally unaccustomed to woodsmog for days on end. The current air quality is very unhealthy - also unheard of. Particle counts in the 100s ppm!