Where There's Wildfire There's Smoke -- and Breathing Problems

Oct. 22, 2007 — -- While wildfires in California continue to rage and chase many from their homes, those who are not directly in the path of the inferno may also be in harm's way.

High winds fanning the flames may also carry thick smoke over great distances, inundating many homes miles away. Now some wonder whether this situation will prompt health warnings similar to those issued last May when stubborn wildfires blanketed homes in California and Florida with smoke.

"Certainly, repeat examples of short-term exposure [to smoke] can have health effects," said the American Lung Association's Janice Nolen during last May's fires. "We have wildfires just about every year in this country, and we definitely know that it can hurt people."

The ubiquitous smoke from a wildfire may not be as toxic as that from an industrial fire -- which may involve chemicals, plastics or other hazardous substances -- but scientists say the trees and brush consumed by a wildfire are far from a clean fuel. And compared to urban structure fires, the protracted siege of a wildfire can exact a greater physical toll on people, especially firefighters.

"Because of the fact that you're out on the fire lines for so much longer, you tend not to be able to carry the self-contained breathing apparatus, so the direct exposure [to smoke] is much greater," said Carroll Wills, spokesman for the California Professional Firefighters, an organization that represents 30,000 paid firefighters in California.

Especially vulnerable to the smoky mixture of dangerous organic compounds, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and air pollutants are the elderly and young children.

"Older folks have pre-existing conditions, including heart disease, so they're more affected," said Jeannine Mallory, spokeswoman for the Pinellas County, Fla., health department, last May. "And children take in more air-per-pound than [adults] do. They breathe more than we do, so to speak."

For three weeks in the fall of 2003, millions in Southern California literally held their breath as more than a dozen fast-moving wildfires threatened lives and property, and left the air thick with smoke. Fanned by menacing Santa Ana winds, the fires killed at least 15 people, destroyed more than 3,500 homes and buildings, and charred an area the size of Rhode Island.

As the infernos grew, so did the number of people seeking treatment for shortness of breath, chest pain, sinus irritation. and other respiratory ailments. Dr. Michael Keane, a UCLA pulmonologist, said many of his patients were literally coughing up black soot.

"We saw exacerbations of asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema," said Keane. "There were people who might not have had symptoms with their asthma for several years -- people who hadn't had an emergency visit for some time -- we were seeing them coming in with flares in their asthma directly related to the wildfires."

Though the long-term effects of such exposure are unclear, smoke from burning wood can remain in the atmosphere for weeks, and the tiny, carcinogenic particles in the smoke -- some of which are one-thirtieth the width of a human hair -- can linger in a person's lungs as well.

"With even a few days of wildfire exposure, a person can have respiratory difficulty for several weeks afterward," said Keane. "Even a couple months it can take to kind of recover fully from that."

Experts advise staying indoors, closing doors and windows, and using air conditioning. Home air filters can help, but paper dust masks generally offer little protection.

"[The masks] are made for catching large particles, if you're doing a home improvement project, if there's sawdust flying around, or you're working in your yard using a blower," said Mallory.

Officials also advise reducing the amount of man-made indoor particulate matter. That means no vacuuming, no smoking and no indoor burning, including the use of gas stoves or candles.

And for some, it may not be smart to simply wait for an evacuation order before leaving an area.

"You kind of have to let common sense be your guide," said Sverre Vedal, an environmental health professor at the University of Washington-Seattle. "If your airways are irritated and you smell smoke, then you are too close for it to be healthy for you."