Southern California Wildfires Creating Unhealthy Air Quality Across Region and Beyond

Dozens of wildfires continue to burn throughout Southern California, including the Line Fire and Airport Fire which are causing mass evacuations in several communities. While temperatures are set to cool slightly in the coming days, the impact will not be enough to slow expansion of current wildfires nor prevent further blazes. Wildfires can cause very unhealthy and even hazardous air quality. We encourage all those near the current fires to listen closely and quickly follow all police and fire guidance on evacuations. The American Lung Association offers tips to protect health from the serious hazards that smoke poses.

Wildfire smoke poses a serious health hazard to people living and working near fires. Wildfire smoke can also travel thousands of miles and impacts the health of anyone who breathes it. Breathing this smoke places even healthy individuals at risk, and you should talk with your healthcare provider about how to prepare for this exposure, especially if you work outdoors, are pregnant, are under age 18 or over age 65, or have asthma, COPD or a lung disease, chronic heart disease or diabetes.

To help residents protect their health, the Lung Association has released the following health tips:

• Stay indoors. People living close to the fire-stricken areas or in areas impacted by wildfire smoke should remain indoors when possible and avoid breathing smoke, ashes and other pollution in the area.
• Protect the air in your home and car. Keep doors, windows and fireplace dampers shut, preferably with clean indoor air circulating through air conditioners on the recirculation setting.  When driving your car in smoky areas, keep your windows and vents closed. Air conditioning should only be operated in the "recirculate" setting.
• Keep an eye on symptoms. Higher levels of smoke in some areas can make breathing more difficult. If you are experiencing wheezing, shortness of breath, difficulty taking a full breath, chest heaviness, lightheadedness, dizziness, a persistent cough or experience difficult or painful breathing, contact your healthcare provider. The first symptoms can appear as late as 24 to 48 hours after initial exposure.
• 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. Keep children inside as much as possible, and think about evacuating if they have trouble breathing or symptoms that do not get better.
• Don’t count on a dust mask. Ordinary dust masks, designed to filter out large particles, and cloth facial coverings still allow the more dangerous smaller particles to pass through. Masks with an N-95 or N-100 filter will filter out the damaging fine particles more effectively, although they do not fully protect anyone from harm. It is important to note that masks may not fit properly or work for everyone—they are not made for children, or for adults with facial hair, and are difficult for people with lung disease to use.
• 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 and wildfire smoke events.

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