HEPA filters are also available for homes outfitted with central heating and cooling systems. People can purchase portable air cleaners with replaceable HEPA filters that strain out small particulate matter, or PM2.5. Indoor air filtration, including HVAC systems (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and portable air purifiers can also help scrub pollutants that may have traveled inside homes and other buildings. Indoor air filters can help reduce or remove pollutants, including small particulate matter from wildfire smoke. People should seek medical attention if they experience a cough, trouble breathing, chest pain or wheezing or hear a whistling sound in the chest, Parikh said. Burning candles or using a gas stove can also contribute to poorer air quality on these days. Many smartphones have apps that also track air quality.Īrmand advised against dusting or mowing your lawn on days when the air quality is poor. , the EPA's website, allows people to track air quality by entering their ZIP codes. How can I protect myself when the air quality is bad?Įxperts advise checking air quality alerts regularly. “They can travel farther than they would ordinarily because they go higher into the atmosphere.”Īn N95 mask can help block those particles for people especially prone to environmental allergens, Peebles said. What’s more, heat can cause pollen to rise and be airborne for longer periods of time, spreading those particles even hundreds of miles away, Peebles said. If a person is sensitive to an environmental allergen, such as trees or grass, breathing in the smoke that results from burning that allergen may cause a reaction. Symptoms may also worsen depending on what’s burning. Stokes Peebles, an allergy and pulmonary specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. “If you have allergies on top of that, you’ve got two different things causing symptoms at the same time,” said Dr. While smoke itself is not an allergen, it can irritate the nasal passages and airways. Does wildfire smoke make allergies worse? A global analysis found that air pollution likely contributed to nearly 6 million premature births in 2019. Smoke can be especially dangerous for pregnant women because they usually have diminished lung capacities due to their growing bellies, Parikh said. Exposure to air pollution during the first and second trimesters may also be associated with gestational diabetes, according to a study published in March.Īdditionally, air pollution can harm a developing fetus and increase the risk of low birth weight, miscarriage and stillbirth. Longer term, exposure to air pollution is associated with several chronic health conditions, including: Studies have also found that short-term exposure to small particulate matter increases the risk of a range of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. In the short term, wildfire smoke can cause irritation to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, as well as an increased risk of respiratory infection. "If you're outside for any length of time, your symptoms can start and can worsen quickly." "It's an almost immediate effect," Capo said. Aida Capo, a pulmonologist at Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey, said on Wednesday that she's already seen an influx of patients because of the poor air quality, including patients with worsening symptoms of asthma or emphysema. Wynne Armand, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate director of the MGH Center for the Environment and Health.Īir pollution from wildfire smoke can make breathing difficult for anyone, but especially for young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with asthma or other pre-existing respiratory conditions, she said.ĭr. Many of the health issues people see from poor air quality, in general, can overlap with health issues people see from wildfire smoke, said Dr. When levels exceed 150, the general population may start to experience symptoms. Over 200 is considered "very unhealthy." How can poor air quality hurt health? It ranges from 0 to more than 300, with levels 50 and below considered the healthiest. The Environmental Protection Agency uses the air quality index to report air quality. Here are a few options for face masks if you need to be outside: Disposable, KN95 and N95. These particles are small enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs and can enter the bloodstream. Especially concerning is small particulate matter - tiny particles in the air that measure less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, or roughly 4% of the width of a strand of hair.
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