I have covered multiple aspects of the health effects of wildfire smoke on this website and on the podcast, but sometimes it’s helpful to have a summary of health effects and what to do before, during, and after wildfire season. I participated in a webinar over the summer of 2021, which you can watch below.
On the podcast episode, I go through a summary of the various health effects, including the analogy of PM2.5 and various levels of cigarette smoking. I also help understand who is a vulnerable group, and what to do before, during and after wildfire season. I provide an overview of what we know and don’t know, and touch on respirators and exercise when air quality is poor.
To Do:
1- Identify whether you or a loved one are in a sensitive group for particulate matter.
2- Make a plan before wildfire season about the health of you and your family members. If you are going to get a respirator, make sure it is NIOSH certified here or here.
3- Make sure you have a plan for clean air in case of smoke events
4- Donate to Neighbors for Clean Air, or Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, who hosted the webinar Our Health in Wildfire Season
5- Donate to PCUN– working to keep outdoor workers safe
6- Get your COVID19 vaccine if you have not done so, and your booster if you are a member of a recommended group. We are all in this together. Find out more from the American Lung Association here.
YOU are a member of a vulnerable group! Make sure you have controller medications and a plan for smoke events!
TLDR= Don't Light Things on Fire and Breathe them into your Lungs
References:
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Wildfire Smoke Fact Sheet.” EPA- 452/F-18-002.
- EPA.gov- “How Smoke from Fires Can Affect Your Health.” Acc June 2021.
- Hutchinson et al. “The San Diego 2007 wildfires and Medi-Cal emergency department presentations, inpatient hospitalizations, and outpatient visits: An observational study of smoke exposure periods and a bidirectional case-crossover analysis.” July 2018.
- Jones et al. “Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests and Wildfire-Related Particulate Matter During 2015-2017 California Wildfires.” JAHA 2020
- Fan et al. “The health impacts and economic value of wildland fire episodes in the U.S.: 2008–2012” Sci Tot Env. Jan 2018.
- Landguth et al. “The delayed effect of wildfire season particulate matter on subsequent influenza season in a mountain west region of the USA.” Environment International. Vol 139. June 2020.
- Muller and Muller. “Air Pollution and Cigarette Equivalence.” Berkeleyearth.org December 2015.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2021.”Current Issues in the Assessment of Respiratory Protective Devices for Occupational and Non-Occupational Uses: Proceedings of a Workshop.” Washington, DC: The National Academies Press
- NIOSH-approved N95 Facepiece Respirators AND NIOSH-approved N95 Surgical Respirators
- Orr A et al. Sustained Effects on Lung Function in Community Members Following Exposure to Hazardous PM2.5 Levels from Wildfire Smoke. Toxics. 2020;8(3):53. Published 2020 Aug 5.
- Pozzer et al Regional and global contributions of air pollution to risk of death from COVID-19, Cardiovascular Research. 2020.
- Rice et al. “Respiratory Impacts of Wildland Fire Smoke: Future Challenges and Policy Opportunities.” Ann Am Thorac Soc. Vol 18 (6). 921-930. June 2021.
- Schaffer et al.”Non-occupational Uses of Respiratory Protection – What Public Health Organizations and Users Need to Know.” CDC.gov – NIOSH Science Blog. January 4, 2018.
- Stone et al. “Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Health Officials.” Airnow.gov. 2019
