as a series Massive fires continue in the Los Angeles area, blanketing neighborhoods in smoke and forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes, and air quality remains unhealthy in many parts of the county. continues.
Wildfire smoke is a mixture of water vapor, gases, and tiny particles known as particulate matter. The smallest of these particles, known as PM2.5 because they are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, pose the most risk to human health. They can stay deep in the lungs and sometimes enter the bloodstream. Earlier this week, PM2.5 levels around Los Angeles rose to “dangerous” levels, the highest warning on the U.S. air quality index.
“Wildfire smoke is dangerous for everyone, especially when the particulate matter emitted is present in large amounts over an extended period of time, as is currently happening in California,” the Chicago area said. says Zachary Rubin, a pediatric allergist and American Airlines spokesperson. College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Breathing in particulate matter can cause inflammation in the body. Symptoms range from mild, such as burning or itchy eyes, runny nose, scratchy throat, and headache, to severe respiratory illness, such as difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, fatigue, and chest pain. Symptoms may take several hours to several days after exposure to appear. In the most severe cases, the risk of early death increases.
Children, the elderly, pregnant people, people with heart or lung disease, or people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of developing serious side effects. But Rubin says anyone, regardless of their health status, can experience respiratory effects from exposure to wildfire smoke.
“Air pollution at any level, including from wildfires, can pose a health risk,” said Laura Korin, an environmental epidemiologist at Tufts University School of Medicine. How dangerous it is depends on many factors, including your current health, your proximity to fire, and the duration of your exposure to fire. “As a rule of thumb, the more exposure you have, the worse it is,” she says.
Components of wildfires can also affect human health. California wildfires have gutted homes and businesses, and smoke in the area may contain chemicals emitted by synthetic building materials, which are emitted by burning plants. more toxic than
People in Los Angeles County and the rest of the United States can check airnow.gov to learn more about the current air quality in their area. Air quality can change rapidly throughout the day, so monitor your readings regularly if there are fires in your area and turn your air to outside air if the air quality is poor. Try to limit your exposure. The Watch Duty app is a great resource to see if there are any fires near where you are.
How to protect yourself and others
“The lungs purify the air we breathe and send it to the heart, which pumps it out to the rest of the body,” says Dr. Petersen, a pulmonologist and professor of medicine at the Scripps Clinic and the University of California, Sun. Shazia Jamil says: Diego. Jamil helped create a guide for the American Thoracic Society on how to stay healthy during wildfires.
She says if someone is short of breath, wheezing or has an increased breathing rate from inhaling smoke, their heart may beat faster and worsen existing heart problems. Even healthy people can experience chest pain and shortness of breath from smoke inhalation.
(Tag Translation) Science