Fires and smoke, oh my!

Every summer I worry, and every summer we get forest fires and LOTS of smoke. 

Why do I worry? Well, because smoke from a forest fire almost killed my son 10 years ago. He ended up in the hospital in ICU with the "crash cart" outside his room. 

It happened so fast.

When you have asthma, smoke does a number on your lungs. 

What are the health effects of smoke?

You might have a cough and/or wheezing, a hard time breathing, and burning eyes and a runny nose.

Is it just people with asthma? AirNow says smoke can affect:

• a person with heart or lung disease, such as heart failure, angina, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema or asthma.
• an older adult, which makes you more likely to have heart or lung disease than younger people.
• caring for children, including teenagers, because their respiratory systems are still developing, they breathe more air (and air pollution) per pound of body weight than adults, they’re more likely to be active outdoors, and they’re more likely to have asthma.
• a person with diabetes, because you are more likely to have underlying cardiovascular disease.
• a pregnant woman, because there could be potential health effects for both you and the developing fetus.

So now, I am VERY wary of fires and smoke. I keep the windows closed in the house and the car. And when I'm in my car, I also keep the "recirculating" air on so it doesn't pull smoke into my car when I drive. And luckily, my work has a great air filtration system and I am protected at my office.

 

So, I am lucky to be able to keep working and then heading home to a safe home environment. 

However, not everyone is so lucky. I have a friend in California that just drove 3 hours north to Oregon to be able to stay in a hotel in an area that is away from the fires and smoke. 

I had to do the same thing 10 years ago after my son was released from ICU. There was another forest fire and our valley filled with smoke again. This time the smoke was coming into my house and the kid's school. So I quickly packed things for myself and my kids and drove to family's house located 4 hours away.

It sounds drastic, but if you have asthma and are having problems breathing, and your home is filling with smoke, you may have to leave town. 

Better to keep on breathing, right?!