PLASTIC-smelling toxic smoke is shrouding the Great Lakes, Upper Midwest and Northeast. Have you noticed it doesn't smel

[riversedge]

Agree--the smoky air did NOT smell smoky--like a campfire.
it has a smell to it but I could not ID it --that was earlier in the week




Matthew Cappucci
@MatthewCappucci
·
3h
PLASTIC-smelling toxic smoke is shrouding the Great Lakes, Upper Midwest and Northeast. Have you noticed it doesn't smell like smoke?

That's because of chemical reactions catalyzed by sunlight.

When you smell campfire smoke, you’re getting the smoke immediately after it’s been produced. This is “aged” smoke that’s festered for a few days.

It contains longer-lived volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that remain even after larger biomass molecules settle out. Instead, benzenes, formaldehydes and acroleins stick around, known for industrial or chemical smells. Formaldehyde in particular has a plastic scent.

As of Friday morning, Chicago, Detroit, Washington D.C. and New York City were the most polluted major cities in the world – exceeding Delhi and Kolkata, India, Jakarta, Indonesia and most major cities in China.

The smoke isn’t just annoying – it’s legitimately dangerous. It’s made up of microscopic particulates known as PM2.5, or itty-bitty particles less than 2.5 micrometers in width. That’s about 30 times thinner than a human hair.

Breathing them in is bad – it increases risk of heart attack, respiratory issues, etc. You may also notice your eyes stinging.

Link to tweet

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[orthoclad]

1. Quality KN95 masks are designed to remove microparticles

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. It doesn't smell like smoke because when we think of campfires or fireplace fires, that's a specific kind of

wood that is almost always kiln-dried, or at least seasoned outside. What's burning now is everything -- dead trees, live trees, structures, vehicles, peat, soil, grasses, mosses, vegetation. Everything is burning.

[2naSalit]

3. Best to think of it...

Like you would if you were in NYC on 9-11. It's just as seriously loaded with toxins.

[31j20b3]

4. Yep I noticed I mentioned it yesterday in my post about smoke in WI

I'm not sure I'd say it's a plastic smell. It's definitely not the smell of seasoned firewood.

Yesterday I suggested it smelled like the green weeds I burn every year trying to keep bushes and baby trees out of ditches around my farm

Today I can see blue sky and clouds, yesterday the sky was simply grey overcast

I think my part of WI is being helped by winds pushing the smoke somewhere else. We can't control that, we aren't doing it on purpose, it's just the way god decided she should make it happen

[rickford66]

5. Smelled like plastic to me.

My neighbor burns all his trash and when I first noticed the smoke, I was going to call him up.

[NickB79]

6. It's also from burning pines and spruces, not hardwoods

And it's burning needles as well as wood. Conifers are very high in volatile chemicals; turpentine is just distilled pine sap.

[Kaleva]

7. I live in Upper Michigan and it smells like campfire smoke

[Deminpenn]

8. Here in western PA, smelled like everyone in the county was out barbequeing

Smoke definately did not smell like plastics burning.