Healthy Indoors Magazine - USA Edition

Healthy Indoors | 45 declared the worsening air quality an emergency crisis. All day long, neighbors were talking about the wildfire haze, at the grocery store, at the farm stand, even at the dermatologist's office where I had an appointment. I was struck by this sudden arrival of the sort of pub- lic discourse about air pollution I have wanted for so many years! All these random people were swapping sto- ries of eye irritation and shortness of breath. Some strangers were even linking the smoke to the climate crisis. To me, after years of what can feel like no one wanting to talk about the cli- mate crisis and looking at me blankly when I bring it up, this onset of casual but constant air pollution chatter was as eerie as the dark sky midday and the ominous orange light. When my 10-year-old arrived home from school, she was still out of sorts. She went straight to her room, shut her door, and turned her HEPA filter on high. We talked about mask- ing indoors, but she didn't want to at home. Fair enough. I saw on social media that people in places where poor air quality is a constant felt us East Coast newbies were being dramatic. Welcome to the club, read more than a few sarcastic tweets. I get it, but it's an emotional and new experience for us, so we de- serve a learning curve moment. Much has been written about the mental health aspects of the climate crisis. This smoke is a lot to process. For me, the smoke feels like an- other apocalypse I have no control over—on the heels of COVID and pe- diatric cancer. But being stuck indoors because of unsafe air quality linked to the climate crisis is a terrifying sit- uation I have considered before. I've been afraid of it for years. When I watch the news about extreme weath- er or air pollution or drought or floods or wildfires in Canada or Pakistan or China or California, some part of me feels grateful I live where I do. Like I'm Helping Kids Understand Wildfires By Ronnie Citron-Fink While it's not officially summer yet, some local kids are out of school and day care here in New York. As smoky, noxious air drifted down from 150 Canadi- an wildfires, Northeast air quality plummeted, renewing a feeling of anxiety and crisis that we haven't felt since the onset of COVID restrictions. As an ex-teacher who ushered New York schoolchildren through a com- plex web of emotional trauma during 9/11, I can attest that our children's lives have once again had their sense of normalcy derailed. For children with asthma and other respiratory illnesses, and those with cardiovascular issues, their vulnerable developing lungs put them at in- creased risk for lung damage from wildfire smoke. This unusually dangerous wildfire pollution our children are experiencing when they look up at the scary orange-gray sky and breathe in the toxic air needs to be addressed. But how? Here are some tips on how to talk to kids about wildfires excerpted from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: 1. Create an open and supportive environment where children know they can ask questions. 2. Give children honest answers and information. 3. Use words and concepts children can understand. Gear your explana- tions to the child's age, language, and developmental level. 4. Be prepared to repeat information and explanations several times. 5. Acknowledge and validate the child's thoughts, feelings, and reactions. Let them know that you think their questions and concerns are import- ant and appropriate. 6. Remember that children tend to personalize situations. For example, they may worry about their own safety and the safety of immediate family members. 7. Be reassuring, but don't make unrealistic promises. It's fine to let chil- dren know that they are safe in their house. But you can't promise that there won't be another wildfire or other natural disaster. 8. Help children find ways to express themselves. Some children may not want to talk about their thoughts, feelings, or fears. They may be more comfortable drawing, playing with toys, or writing stories or poems. 9. Let children know that lots of people are helping. It's a good opportunity to show children that when something scary happens, there are people to help. 10. Children learn from watching their parents and teachers. They will be very interested in how you respond. While areas across the nation have experienced this level of climate anx- iety from wildfires, marking yet another climate extreme, it's new to me. And as we've mentioned when talking about mental health and climate change, an important first step for parents can be to normalize and validate your own feelings of climate distress. These feelings are a sign that you deeply care about protecting our precious children. Ronnie Citron-Fink is the editor of the Moms Clean Air Force website. She is also an author and writer. She writes and edits articles about the environment, health, politics, beauty, design, parenting, and education. Her articles have been published in InStyle, USA Today, Huffington Post, among other publications. She was recognized as one of the Top Ten Living Green Experts by Yahoo.

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