Wildfires, like the ones currently ravenging California can choke the air of the surrounding
communities with smoke.
People living in those communities can end up breathing this smoky air for days or even
months until the fire is brought under control.
To describe how bad the air is government agencies commonly use a scale called the Air
Quality Index, or AQI, to describe the air quality in a given area--the higher the number
the more polluted the air is.
Recently, in San Francisco the AQI reached 271 which is roughly ten times the air pollution
the city has on an average day.
It’s been estimated that breathing this air for a day has the equivalent health risks
of smoking 10 cigarettes.
So, what are the health risks to inhaling wildfire smoke and how can you decrease your
risks?
Wildfire smoke is full of gases and tiny particles from burning vegetation and building materials
that can irritate your eyes, nasal passages, throat, and lungs.
They can also trigger an immune response leading to inflammation.
All of this can lead to coughing, difficulty breathing, a fast heartbeat, chest pain, and
it can even trigger an asthma attack.
Young children are one of the groups with the highest risk for difficulties with exposure
to smoky air —because their respiratory tracts are still developing and they breathe
more air per pound of body weight than adults.
Other high-risk groups include the elderly, and people with heart and lung diseases—like
asthma.
So how can you decrease your risks for breathing in smoky air?
First: Pay attention to the news and listen for public warnings and recommendations about
smoke.
Second: limit your exposure.
If it is smoky outdoors it’s better to stay indoors with the windows and doors closed.
In addition, if you’re using an air conditioner, make sure that it’s recirculating air and
not drawing air in from the outside.
Third: Avoid strenuous outdoor activity.
This is one of the few times where it’s advised to skip that workout as heavy breathing
causes you to bring in more of that smoky air into your lungs.
Fourth: Purchase an air purifier.
Air purifiers filter particulate matter out of the air.
Most of them are designed to clean the air in only one room, though, so it’s best to
use them where people spend the most time.
For example, you may keep it in living room during the day and move it the bedroom at
night.
Fifth: Use a respirator.
Breathing through bandanas and surgical masks offers very little protection against smoky
air.
Instead look for respirators that are labeled with ratings like N95, R99 or P100.
These numbers refer to the approximate amount of particulate matter that they filter from
the air, so N95 and P100 remove close to 95% and 100% of the particles in the air respectively.
The letters refer the ability of the masks to handle oil-based aerosols, so all letters
should work similarly for smoke.
Now to work properly, the mask needs to be sealed against your face, so facial hair can
be a problem.
Masks also don’t often fit small children well, who may also not be willing to keep
a mask on their face for long.
In that case it’s better to keep children indoors as much as possible.
Also, using a respirator may tempt you to spend more time outdoors which increases your
exposure and that defeats the purpose of using the mask in the first place.
Depending on their use the masks can last for quite awhile, but it is recommended that
they are replaced whenever they are damaged, soiled, or they cause a noticeable increase
in breathing resistance.
As a final note, even new masks increase breathing resistance, so they should be used cautiously
with people with existing heart and lung problems.
All right, as a quick recap … Smoke pollution can lead to throat, eye, nasal, and lungs
irritation and lead to difficulties breathing.
To decrease your risk to smoky air, pay attention to the news for warnings, limit your exposure,
avoid strenuous outdoor activity, invest in an air purifier, and use a respirator.
Thanks for watching!
If you’d like to watch one of our more in-depth videos on respiratory diseases, check out
our video on Asthma, on Osmosis.org!