🌬️Field Notes: DIY air purifier + one I recommend, "Cartharsis" art exhibit, negotiating with aging parents, and more
Wildfires in Canad set records for poor air quality and bring new calculations and empathy
Hello, dear friends! What a week. The smoke from the hundreds of wildfires in Canada is causing bad air quality both nations. Here in New York, the air has been smoky, a sour orange at times. The sky has looked as though it has been smeared with grease. I have the firefighters, their families, and the communities near the fires in my thoughts, and I’m hoping the fires can be contained soon. It also has given us on the East Coast more empathy for those in the West who experience such smoke as part of the fire season each year.
Here are 6 interesting things I’ve run across lately, a couple of which are related to the smoke.
One day this week, New York City had the worst air quality of any city in the world. The air quality level was a record 868 micrograms of fine particle pollution per cubic meter, 10 times the previous bad air quality record of 86. Whew.
Here’s the story (gift link) linked to the chart. This made me wonder more about the air quality measurement itself. The New York Times explains: “The small particles measured by the sensors — each about a 30th as wide as a human hair — are dangerous to human health because they are tiny enough to penetrate into the lungs and bloodstream. Thirty-five micrograms of the particles per cubic meter of air is considered a safe average level in the air for one day, according to the agency.” This morning’s reading in the Hudson Valley was 26, so we are back to clear skies for the moment.
How to DIY an Air Purifier (Wirecutter) — Can putting a furnace/HVAC filter on a box fan create an inexpensive air purifier that actually works? Wirecutter tested this, and yup: “It did okay, cutting the initial particulate load by 87 percent over 35 minutes on medium.”
Air Doctor purifier (affiliate link, not mine) — If you are a looking to buy an air purifier, but feeling overwhelmed by the choices, this is the one I bought back in 2020, and I’ve been happy with it. We have one upstairs and one downstairs, and I’m always shocked when I replace the filters (there are two: carbon and UltraHEPA) by the amount of dust and junk caught in them. It’s quiet and reportedly cleans out smoke, pollen, mold, pet dander, bacteria, and viruses. Here’s an affiliate link I used back in 2020 that still seems to work to reduce the $629 price of the Air Doctor 3000 to $329. (The affiliate link is not mine —I don’t receive anything if you buy one, but a blogger somewhere does.)
How to Negotiate With Resistant Aging Parents? Borrow These Tips From the Business World (KFF Health News) — This tip sheet recommends focusing on collaborative decisions, shared interests, and curiosity, rather than hard demands. For instance: “Don’t assume you know why your parent is taking a certain position (I don’t want to go to the doctor). Instead, ask follow-up questions, such as Why? or Why not?”
Summer reading assignment: Get thee a library card! (Austin Kleon’s newsletter) — As a card-carrying library reader since I was in kindergarten or so, I join Austin in extolling the wonders of libraries. Libraries also often have access to free audiobooks, free subscriptions to magazines, even free passes to local attractions, like museums. (My local library allows you to check out passes to Storm King Art Center.) Think of all the health-related information, memoirs, journal studies, and the like available — for free! If you don’t have a library card yet, or haven’t explored your library’s offerings yet, this could be a fun summer activity. Librarians are usually happy to give you a introduction. (Here are a few books you might request.)
Catharthis art exhibit by Ivan Lam (New Strait Times) — I love these five colorful paintings by Malaysian contemporary artist Ivan Lam, on display now in the “Cartharsis” exhibit in Kuala Lumpur, which illustrate his experience of understanding and accepting years of pain. Each artwork includes a circular clear mold made of resin and paint scraps at the precise spot where his pain was excruciating. The story explains: “Dealing with debilitating health matters throughout his life, Lam felt the only way to ‘end’ his suffering was to embrace it wholly. Each painting presents an almost scientifically-precise anatomical drawing of a body part, which had tormented him in the past — the skull, the inner ear, the pelvis, the skin and the heart.” You can see more on his Instagram.
I hope you have a clear, easy-breathing weekend ahead.
To our journeys,
Brianne