American Lung Association in California Offers Tips to Help Residents Protect Themselves from Wildfire Smoke this Summer

With summer quickly approaching, the American Lung Association in California is encouraging Bay Area residents to take steps to protect themselves and their loved ones from the health harms of wildfire smoke in advance of peak wildfire season.

Breathing wildfire smoke can be extremely harmful to the lungs and can cause serious health issues, including asthma attacks and heart attacks, among other health emergencies. This smoke is unhealthy for everyone to breathe, but children, older adults, individuals who are pregnant, people with lung disease, like asthma and COPD, and people who work outdoors are at greater risk of health harms.

Protecting lung health should be part of a wildfire emergency plan. The Lung Association offers the following general recommendations to help residents stay safe and protect their lungs from wildfire smoke:

• 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.

• Monitor your air quality forecast: Keeping track of the current air quality information can help you know when to take steps to protect yourself from unhealthy levels of air pollution from wildfires and other sources. Media outlets report on local air quality conditions year-round, or you can go to EPA’s Air Now website.

• Take precautions for kids: Extra precautions should be taken for children and teens, who are more susceptible to smoke. Their lungs are still developing and they breathe in more air (and consequently more pollution) for their size compared to adults.

• Protect the air in your home: Keep doors, windows and fireplace dampers shut and preferably with clean air circulating through air conditioners and air cleaners. Use air conditioners on the recirculation setting to keep from pulling outside air into the room. Air cleaning devices that have HEPA filters can provide added protection from the soot and smoke. Place damp towels under the doors and other places where the outside air may leak in. You can also watch this video on how to create a clean room in your house.

• Don’t exercise outside: If you live close to or in an area surrounding wildfires, don't exercise outdoors, especially if you smell smoke or experience eye or throat irritation.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

For more information about wildfires and lung health, please visit Lung.org/wildfires.