The wildfires scorching Canada are sending billowing smoke and particulate matter south, putting the eastern United States’ air in peril. Health professionals advise caution in the coming days as air quality advisories affected an estimated 100 million Americans on Wednesday, from New Hampshire to South Carolina. According to Dr. Lisa Patel, a California-based doctor, wildfire smoke is thought to be ten times more harmful than pollution caused by burning fossil fuels.
Canada wildfires: “It’s like smoking eight to ten cigarettes at once”
Staying outside during Red and Orange air quality alerts could have a negative impact on one’s health and “activate and aggravate pre-existing conditions,” according to Dr. Comilla Sasson, an emergency medicine physician and the American Heart Association’s vice president for science and innovation. People should avoid physically demanding outdoor activities, limit their time spent outside, or postpone their plans for a period when it is safer to breathe outdoor air. Keep checking the air quality index in your area. This serves as an excellent reminder that it’s generally preferable to get indoors if your eyes are burning or your breathing hurts.
Smoke is a “big irritant to the lungs,” according to allergist and immunologist Dr. Juanita Mora, who also serves as an American Lung Association spokeswoman. According to Mora, the tiny particles that make up wildfire smoke can be as little as a single strand of hair, which makes it simple for them to enter the tiniest airways in people’s lungs. Mora stated that “it’s like smoking eight to ten cigarettes at once” in areas where Red or Orange alerts are in effect.
These flames and polluted air are particularly hazardous for young children, elderly individuals, and those with respiratory disorders
These flames are particularly hazardous for young children, elderly individuals, and those with respiratory disorders. They can cause asthma attacks, close playgrounds, pack hospital ERs, and make it difficult for people to breathe and go about their daily lives due to the air pollution they produce. According to Patel, a member of the executive committee of the American Academy of Paediatrics Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change, young children under the age of five are particularly susceptible to the negative impacts of wildfire smoke. This is due to the fact that their developing lungs and the fact that they frequently play outside or engage in outdoor sports like T-ball or soccer accelerate this process. “Pound for pound, they’re breathing in more of that pollution than an adult would be,” Patel said.
Health professionals urge you to use a mask and spend as little time outside as possible if you must go outside. The best masks are an N95 for adults or a KN95 for kids, although a well-fitted surgical mask can be used if no other options are available, according to Patel. The best protection isn’t provided by surgical masks, but Patel said that “something is better than nothing.”
