Here’s what smoky skies are doing to our health

Chris Weigel is coping with the heat and smoky skies like many Bellingham residents — he and his family were holed up inside their house Monday.

“My wife has been battling her asthma and headaches since the smoke started,” said Weigel, who lives in the Whatcom Falls neighborhood.

“It’s to the point we don’t take the dogs for walks anymore, nor do the kids go outside,” he said.

But not everyone took the advice of health experts, who cautioned against outdoor activities as the air across Whatcom County pushed into the unhealthy range for particulate matter.

Blodel-Donovan Park on Lake Whatcom was crowded Monday afternoon as swimmers sought respite from the smoke and record-high temperatures in the high 80s.

“It’s really ugly out there,” said Seth Preston, spokesman for the Northwest Clean Air Agency, which issued a ban on all outside fires.

Local medical professionals noted a rise in ER and urgent-care visits, calls to doctors about the threat to their health, and pharmacies saw patients seeking refills for inhalers and other respiratory therapies.

“People are complaining about having problems breathing,” said Sonia Gale, pharmacy at Hoagland Pharmacy in Bellingham.

She said that the pharmacy sold out of N-95 masks recommended to filter out the smoke, but that more masks were arriving this week.

Preston said the biggest threat was from particulates in the air, which is measured in micrograms per cubic meter.

About 3 p.m. Monday, Bellingham’s air was in the “unhealthy” range at 83 micrograms per cubic meter.

To put the smoke into perspective, Preston said that the worst reading from the smoky summer of 2017 was 48 micrograms per cubic meter.

State Health tips

The Washington State Department of Health offers tips to deal with smoky conditions.

How can I tell if smoke is affecting my family?

Smoke can cause coughing, scratchy throat, irritated sinuses, shortness of breath, chest pain, headaches, stinging eyes, and runny nose.

If you have heart or lung disease, smoke might make your symptoms worse.

People who have heart disease might experience chest pain, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, and fatigue.

If you have a pre-existing respiratory condition such as asthma, COPD (including chronic bronchitis and emphysema), or allergies, smoke may worsen symptoms (inability to breathe normally, cough with or without mucus, chest discomfort, wheezing, and shortness of breath).

When smoke levels are high, even healthy people can have symptoms or health problems.

Contact your health care provider if you have heart or lung problems when around smoke. Dial 911 for emergency assistance if symptoms are serious.

What can I do to protect myself and my family from outdoor smoke?

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 health care 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. Track the air quality and open your windows for fresh air when the air quality improves. Pay attention to the heat indoors and follow guidance in the section below if it’s too hot.

▪ Run an air conditioner, set it to re-circulate and close the fresh-air intake. Make sure to change the filter regularly.

▪ Use an air cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to reduce indoor air pollution. A HEPA filter will 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. Do not use an air cleaner that produces ozone.

▪ Don’t add to indoor pollution. Don’t use food boilers, candles, incense, fireplaces, or gas stoves. Don’t vacuum unless your vacuum has a HEPA filter, because vacuuming stirs up particles already inside your home. Don’t smoke, because smoking puts even more pollution into the air.

▪ Consider leaving the area if the air quality is poor and it’s not possible to keep indoor air clean, especially if you or those you are caring for are having health problems or are in a sensitive group. See section above titled, who is especially sensitive to smoke.

Should I exercise when it’s smoky?

Exercise is very important for health. When you exercise your air intake is increased, which means inhaling more pollution when the air quality is bad.

Avoid outdoor exercise when air quality is in the Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, or Hazardous categories.

When the air quality is in the Very Unhealthy or Hazardous categories, consider the indoor air quality and consider limiting indoor exercise.

If you are sensitive to smoke, you should limit your activities when air quality is in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups category. People with asthma and lung and heart conditions may be very sensitive to poor air quality and may start to have symptoms when air quality is in the Moderate category and they should consider reducing indoor and outdoor activities.

This story was originally published August 21, 2018 at 5:00 AM.