Will your face mask protect you from wildfire smoke? To be safe, you need a specific kind of mask

Views of San Francisco's skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9, 2017 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties. Views of San Francisco's skyline are smoke-filled on the morning of Oct. 9, 2017 as multiple wildfires burn in Mendocino and Sonoma counties. Photo: Amy Graff Photo: Amy Graff Image 1 of / 95 Caption Close Will your face mask protect you from wildfire smoke? 1 / 95 Back to Gallery

With smoke from the Wine Country blanketing San Francisco and other Bay Area communities for a second day, some people are wondering if it's safe to go outside.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District on Tuesday warned that the smoke has made breathing hazardous. And that's not just for people with asthma, heart or lung disease, or other respiratory problems.

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"If you have masks available, you should use them," said Kristine Roselius, a spokeswoman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

But not just any mask will do, specifically not the inexpensive dust or surgical masks that have become popular in China's most polluted cities. They won't protect your lungs from smoke.

Instead look for a mask with a particulate respirator. These are labeled NIOSH-approved, marked N95 or N100 (also P100), and come with two straps that fit around your head. You can find them at Home Depot, Lowe's, Amazon and other hardware retailers.

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Children and the elderly are most likely to be affected by the particulates in smoky air.

At least 15 people were killed and 1,500 structures were leveled Sunday in a firestorm that tore through parts of Santa Rosa and Napa's picturesque wine county.