Heavy smoke from the Airport, Line and Bridge fires has been giving Southern California communities a hard time for multiple days now.
When smoke and ash settle into your neighborhood, it irritates your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. That can cause long-term damage, which is why it could be time to start wearing a mask.
How wildfires affect your health
When you breathe in wildfire smoke, very small particles get inside your body. But what those particles are, exactly, depends on what’s burning.
Ed Avol is a professor emeritus of USC’s Keck School of Medicine and was chief of its environmental health division. He said the first thing most people think about with wildfires is the wood aspect.
“I think what people often forget, though, is we often are also exposed to a lot of other things,” Avol said. “For example, if buildings are involved, or if cars or vehicles or other materials are involved, you get into all other kinds of exposure.”
Smoke can be made up of things we can see and things we can’t, which is why masks can help. Avol said there’s a lot of dirt, debris, and dust in smoke — often referred to as particulate matter. But we also inhale gasses like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and more.
“Health studies show and tell us that persistent exposure to these sorts of things can affect our respiratory system and can affect our cardiovascular system,” Avol said.
Groups who are especially sensitive to smoke include:
- People with asthma
- People with cardiovascular diseases
- People with respiratory diseases
- People over 65
- Young children
- Pregnant women
Is there a difference between smoke and ash?
Being around either of these can cause problems for you, but there is a difference. Avol said the larger ash particles — things we can visibly see — may be less of a problem for a couple of reasons.
“We can see them, so we know to avoid them,” Avol said. “Secondly, because they’re larger, if we’re breathing through our nose, they tend to be taken out by the filtration systems in our nose. The larger particles get trapped either in the upper airways or in our nose, and then we just sort of blow our nose and sneeze it out.”
The more difficult issues are the smaller particles that get into our respiratory system. Once they pass the air blood barrier in the lungs, they can get into the circulatory system and go anywhere in the body.
When should I start wearing a mask?
If you’re very close to the fires or in a smokey area, Avol has some tips for how to tell when it’s time to put one on.
“If you go outside and can smell smoke, if you go outside and see that the sky is kind of brownish, gray, hazy… then you might consider, depending on your respiratory health, consider wearing those masks,” Avol said.
You can also check air quality maps around you to see what pollutant levels are. If your neighborhood is in an orange, red or even purple area, then it’s time.
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- This South Coast Air Quality Management District map will show you the level of pollutants in your area.
- You can also check AirNow’s fire and smoke map, which measures fine particulate matter and fire-related detections.
What mask works best against smoke and ash?
One of the best masks should already be familiar to you from the pandemic: an N95 mask. These are particulate respirators recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies. Ones with a valve are fine to use.
“These are masks that are rated and tested to provide protection to at least 95% effectiveness for small particles, which are exactly the main problem, the main culprit, if you will, in wildfire smoke,” Avol said.
These masks are regulated by the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and will have “NIOSH” printed on them. N95 masks will almost always have two straps that go around your head — not ear loops — for a tighter fit that prevents outside air from getting in.
KN95s are similar to N95s, but these Chinese-equivalents aren’t regulated by NIOSH and use ear loops. Still, these masks are 95% effective and have less air leakage than a surgical mask.
The mask market is also riddled with fakes, so consult the CDC’s guide to spotting them if you’re not sure about the authenticity of your N95. The CDC has a list of NIOSH-approved respirators. Approval numbers are also required to be printed on the product, which can be looked up on the CDC’s certified equipment list.
A P100 respirator mask could also protect you from smoke, but Avol said those go beyond what most people need.
What about kids?
If you’re looking to protect your children, hold on before strapping N95s to their faces. NIOSH hasn’t approved these masks for kids, which means there is a dearth of sizes.
“Trying to put an adult-sized face mask onto a child just doesn't work because it doesn’t seal well against their face,” Avol said. “It basically just leaks and so you mistakenly think you’re protecting your child and you’re not really doing that much.”
The mask does come in smaller adult sizes that could fit an older child’s face, or you could opt for a child’s KN95 mask.
Avol said another solution can simply be going inside. That reduces your child’s exposure to the outside, provided your home is not leaking air.
“It may be a better day to do more reading,” Avol said. “Dare I say even watch TV or do something to minimize the increased ventilation on these particularly smoky days.”
Resources to prep and cope with wildfire
- Listen to The Big Burn, our podcast that will get you motivated to get ready
- Wildfires are getting worse. What you need to know
- Every day is now fire season. Let's get you ready for the next wildfire burning near you
- Evacuation terms can be confusing. Here’s what they mean and how to sign up for alerts
- How to keep yourself safe from wildfire smoke
- This is why fire officials don't want you to stay and defend your home
- What does 'containment' of a fire mean, exactly
- What to do — and not do — when you get home after a wildfire
- If you want to help fire victims, resist the urge to volunteer
