If you’ve put your COVID face masks into retirement, it’s time to start wearing them again if you live in the large region of the United States that could potentially be affected by wildfires.
The good news is that N95 masks can filter out 95% of smoke particles, according to California’s health department. The best thing to do is stay inside and limit your outdoor activities, but if you need to venture outdoors you can protect yourself with an N95 or a KN95 mask (only N95 masks are approved for healthcare use in the U.S., but KN95 masks have many of the same protective properties).
Below is a roundup of masks should you need to protect yourself.