American Lung Association Provides Tips to Protect Yourself From Wildfire Smoke and Poor Air Quality

This past week, large uncontrolled wildfires in Canada have produced a significant amount of smoke that is resulting in unhealthy and even hazardous air quality in several cities in the U.S. This air quality is unhealthy for everyone, but can be especially harmful for children, older adults, individuals who may be pregnant and people with lung diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 

“While it appears that the air quality in the northeastern and midwestern states has improved slightly today, weather and wildfires are unpredictable. Things can change quickly, so it is critical to check your local air quality at AirNow.Gov, and to continue to take precautions,” said Dr. Albert Rizzo, Chief Medical Officer for the American Lung Association. “In addition, for those impacted by heavy wildfire smoke, symptoms can sometimes appear days after exposure. We advise everyone to monitor for any symptoms and contact their healthcare provider if they have concerns.”

The American Lung Association offers these six tips for people to reduce lung irritation and health complications due to increased air pollution:

1. Stay indoors. People living close to the fire-stricken areas should follow guidance from local authorities, and remain indoors to reduce breathing smoke, ashes and other pollution in the area if instructed to do so.
2. Protect the air in your home. Keep doors, windows and fireplace dampers shut and preferably with clean air circulating through air conditioners on the recirculation setting. You can also watch this video on how to create a clean room in your house.
3. Keep an eye on symptoms. Higher levels of smoke in some areas can make breathing more difficult. If you are experiencing symptoms that concern you, contact your healthcare provider.
4. Take precautions for kids. Extra precaution should be taken for children, who are more susceptible to smoke. Their lungs are still developing, and they breathe in more air (and consequently more pollution) for their size than adults.
5. Don’t count on a dust mask. Ordinary dust masks, designed to filter out large particles, and cloth facial coverings will not help. They still allow the more dangerous smaller particles to pass through. Special, more expensive dust masks with an N-95 or N-100 filter will filter out the damaging fine particles, but may not fit properly, are not made for children or adults with facial hair and are difficult for people with lung disease to use.
6. Ask for help. The American Lung Association’s Lung HelpLine at 1-800-LUNGUSA is staffed by nurses and respiratory therapists and is a free resource to answer any questions about the lungs, lung disease and lung health, including how to protect yourself during wildfires. 

More information about wildfires and lung health can be found at Lung.org/wildfires.