Mask Bloc Delaware Distributes PPE in Wilmington as 40-Plus Clean Air Clubs Tackle Wildfire Smoke
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 9
Mask Bloc Delaware Distributes PPE in Wilmington as 40-Plus Clean Air Clubs Tackle Wildfire Smoke
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 9
Summary
Wilmington organizers with Mask Bloc Delaware handed out KN95 masks in July as smoke from Canadian wildfires spread across the US east coast and raised local health concerns.
Wildfire smoke can be especially dangerous for older people and those with respiratory illness, and a recent University of California study found asthma hospitalizations rise 10% on smoke days.
The Delaware group, launched in 2024, said many residents welcomed the PPE but had not realized poor air quality posed health risks; organizers also left masks with local businesses for wider distribution.
That effort mirrors a broader mutual-aid network: more than 40 Clean Air Clubs and Mask Blocs now lend air purifiers and distribute masks, often moving faster than public agencies.
The model grew from Covid-era organizing and is now being repurposed for climate-driven smoke events, including northern California fires that have burned more than 1,000 acres and smoke drifting from Oregon and Washington.