Wildfire smoke is invading more than 20 states — doctors reveal who should worry most
Stay indoors when smoke levels are high. Keep windows and doors closed. If using air conditioning or central HVAC, set the system to recirculate to reduce the amount of smoky outdoor air entering the home.
Clean indoor air. Run a portable air purifier with a HEPA filter or use a highest-efficiency filter. Experts also recommend avoiding activities that worsen indoor air pollution, such as burning candles, smoking, frying food or vacuuming while smoke levels remain elevated.
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Wear an N95 respirator if necessary. If you must spend time outside when smoke levels are high, a well-fitting N95 respirator can filter out most harmful fine particles.
Reduce strenuous outdoor activity. Heavy exercise causes people to breathe faster and deeper, increasing the amount of fine particulate matter that reaches the lungs. Consider moving workouts indoors until air quality improves, experts advise.
When to seek help
“Don’t tough it out if breathing is genuinely hard,” Safdie advised. “Get medical care if you have shortness of breath that doesn’t ease with rest, a cough that won’t settle, wheezing, chest tightness, dizziness or heart palpitations.”
The most common effect of wildfire smoke is irritation to the respiratory system. (iStock)
Those who have asthma or COPD should follow their doctor-provided action plan.
“Don’t wait if your rescue inhaler isn’t doing the job,” Safdie said. “Call 911 for severe difficulty breathing, chest pain or confusion. When in doubt, get checked.”
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Although short-term exposure is unlikely to cause long-term damage, “very intense” exposure can generate chronic issues, he said.
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“For example, firefighters who are in the eye of the problem should definitely be very well-protected with the appropriate equipment, because the concentration of the smoke and the PM25 particles will be extremely high and could cause chronic problems,” Safdie said.
“But for the general population, it is unlikely that they will have such an exposure. I think that it would be more of an acute problem.”
Melissa Rudy is senior health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to melissa.rudy@fox.com.
Article source: https://www.foxnews.com/health/wildfire-smoke-invading-more-than-20-states-doctors-reveal-who-should-worry-most