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Wildfire, fire management and air quality news for western Montana and the Northern Rockies.

Schools keep kids indoors on smokey days. Researchers wonder if the air is any better inside

Sharrott Creek Fire burning in Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness on September 06, 2024.
Inciweb
Sharrott Creek Fire burning in Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness on September 06, 2024.

Schools kept students inside for recess and athletics Monday as a thick blanket of smoke smothered western and central Montana. New research aims to better understand air quality inside schools.

Montana had a higher rate of smoke-caused deaths than any other state between 2006 and 2018, according to research group GeoHealth. That fact is driving Keri Nauman’s work at the state environmental quality department.

“So, it’s obviously a very serious threat to Montanans, and any time we can spread awareness of that is important to us,” Nauman says.

Nauman is spearheading a free program to install air quality monitors in Montana high schools. The devices come in pairs — one for inside the school, and one for outside.

UM air quality researcher Dave Jones says schools often keep students inside during episodes of unhealthy air. He says researchers need more data before they can advise schools on how to better clean indoor air.

“What we’re finding is that, typically, indoor air during events like this can be as bad if not worse than outdoor air, so we’ve got some work to do to get that all figured out,” Jones said.

Nauman says the monitors can be set up in under an hour. She says it’s an easy way to help communities track air quality, especially in rural areas without other options.

The department says 36 Montana high schools have monitors online, with another 50 coming soon.

Schools interested in joining the program can send an email to keri.nauman@mt.gov to get started.

Austin graduated from the University of Montana’s journalism program in May 2022. He came to MTPR as an evening newscast intern that summer, and jumped at the chance to join full-time as the station’s morning voice in Fall 2022.

He is best reached by emailing austin.amestoy@umt.edu.
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