喵咪社区

A 喵咪社区 thoracic surgeon explains the health impact of poor air quality, including from wildfire smoke.

The rise in wildfires globally brings into sharp focus how such disasters increasingly threaten our health and security. One question many people ask is how poor air quality could be harming their health.

Brooks Udelsman, MD, MHS, a thoracic surgeon with 喵咪社区 Surgery, part of 喵咪社区, understands this concern. He shares his clinical perspective and advice on how you can protect yourself.

How wildfires affect air quality

There鈥檚 no question that wildfires wreak havoc on air quality. Air Quality Index (AQI) spikes may rise to 鈥渉azardous鈥� levels of pollution. The nature of the pollutants themselves also raise alarms. Dr. Udelsman notes that levels of asbestos, lead and microplastics can increase in a fire鈥檚 immediate aftermath.

Once a fire has peaked, outdoor air quality will start returning to baseline levels within two to three days. But even as air quality returns to normal, some residents may still report a range of associated symptoms, including allergies, coughs, irritated eyes, asthma attacks and headaches.

Acute versus chronic exposure

The good news is that for the majority of those affected, Dr. Udelsman continues, 鈥淭hese symptoms will be self-limited and improve on their own.鈥�

That鈥檚 because most people鈥檚 exposure to the unhealthy air is acute 鈥� occurring for a brief time.

Contrast this with the effect that chronic, or long-term, exposure to unhealthy levels of airborne particulates can have on health. For that, Dr. Udelsman says, the best long-term data come from firefighters themselves.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e out there fighting fires every fire season,鈥� he explains. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e chronically exposed. And we do see higher rates of some chronic lung diseases in this group.鈥� That said, he doesn鈥檛 think we can extrapolate those outcomes to 鈥渢he average healthy person who, while certainly affected by wildfires, isn鈥檛 chronically exposed.鈥�

People at notable risk

Where acute exposure to unhealthy air can pose a risk is in those with preexisting pulmonary conditions, Dr. Udelsman says.

After all, the pulmonary system has 鈥渢he greatest interface with the air,鈥� he points out. So, if an individual鈥檚 lungs are already compromised by, say, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, lung fibrosis, recent pulmonary surgery or even severe asthma, 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to want to be more careful about exposure,鈥� he cautions. 鈥淭heir 鈥榬eserve鈥� 鈥� the ability to tolerate more injury 鈥� is potentially going to be lower.鈥�

What you can do to protect yourself from poor air quality

Nevertheless, Dr. Udelsman has some commonsense tips that we all can follow to limit our exposure to unhealthy air:

• First, if you are in a region experiencing the aftermath of a wildfire, Dr. Udelsman suggests doing some post-fire spring cleaning. 鈥淢ake sure ash is removed inside and out,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd make sure your kids aren鈥檛 playing in ash piles, which have higher levels of lead and other contaminants.鈥�
• Mind air-quality warnings via the news, apps or reports from reputable sources like state and local air-quality agencies, the National Weather Service or the EPA. 鈥淵ou can also buy an in-home monitor that measures indoor and outdoor air quality,鈥� Dr. Udelsman adds.
• When reports forecast a smoky or smoggy day, Dr. Udelsman counsels limiting outdoor exposure. 鈥淚f you have to go out,鈥� he says, 鈥渋t鈥檚 not a bad idea to wear some type of protective gear like an N95 mask, especially if you have an underlying chronic pulmonary disease.鈥�
• And trust your own experience. If you get headaches on bad-air days, monitor symptoms and respond accordingly. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to be your own judge and personal evaluator of how you feel,鈥� Dr. Udelsman says.

Is it safe to go outside?

Dr. Udelsman also offers reassurance for those exposed to short-term bad air quality. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 going to be a lot of lasting harm for the average person,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he data we have doesn鈥檛 really show that.鈥�

Is it safe to venture outside once a wildfire has passed? 鈥淥verall, I think the answer is yes,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just finding the balance. Yes, it鈥檚 important to be careful, but you鈥檝e got to live, too.鈥�

And if you do have concerns or questions, don鈥檛 hesitate to reach out to your health care provider. 鈥淲e live with this, too,鈥� Dr. Udelsman says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e part of the community, so we understand. We know how to be cautious, we know how to exercise good judgement in this area and we can help patients navigate it.鈥�

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Kimberly J. Decker

Kimberly J. Decker is a freelance writer for 喵咪社区.

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