Where's the smoke from?

Wildfire smoke is not healthy

The smoke in the air isn’t healthy to breathe, especially for children, the elderly or anyone with respiratory or cardiac issues, but even healthy people can be negatively affected by it, according to the Washington State Department of Health. Some symptoms from breathing in too many smoke particles can include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, irritated eyes, and more.

Suggestions from the state Department of Health to minimize smoke exposure include:

Check local air quality reports and listen to news or health warnings for your community.

Avoid physical exertion outdoors if smoke is in the air.

If you have asthma or other lung diseases, make sure you follow your doctor's directions about taking your medicines and follow your asthma management plan. Call your healthcare provider if your symptoms worsen.

Stay indoors and keep indoor air as clean as possible. Take the following steps when indoors:

Keep windows and doors closed. If there is no air conditioning and it is too hot to keep windows and doors closed, consider leaving the area.

Run an air conditioner (if you have one), set it to re-circulate and close the fresh-air intake. Make sure to change the filter regularly.

Use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to reduce indoor air pollution. A HEPA filter may reduce the number of irritating fine particles in indoor air. A HEPA filter with charcoal will help remove some of the gases from the smoke.

Don’t add to indoor pollution. Don’t use candles, fireplaces, or gas stoves. Don’t vacuum, because vacuuming stirs up particles already inside your home. Don’t smoke, because smoking puts even more pollution into the air.

More information is available online at the Department of Health’s website at http://www.doh.wa.gov, and many other websites.