Even as an air pollution expert, these months of bushfire smoke have been a shock | Nancy Cushing for the Conversation

Fire smoke is considered outside human control and not subject to regulation. It's time to rethink the way we protect air qualitySmoke from this season's bushfires has turned the sun red, the moon orange and the sky an insipid grey. It has obscured iconic views tourists flock to see. Far more than an aesthetic problem, it has forced business shutdowns, triggered health problems and kept children indoors for weeks.City dwellers in south-east Australia have been forced to take a crash course in the finer points of air pollution. We've learned about the dangers of inhaling tiny PM2.5 particles (those 2.5 microns or fewer in diameter). We've learned that only a close-fitting P2 mask will do much to protect us. Continue reading...