General News

Health Unit offers tips to protect yourself from wildfire smoke

June 8, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

With an unprecedented number of wildfires burning in several provinces, many cities and towns are feeling the effects as winds move the smoke south, descending in a haze in urban areas.

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is offering tips on how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke.

Short-term exposure to wildfire smoke, even at low levels, can cause headaches, make breathing harder, irritate your eyes, lungs, nose and throat, worsen existing heart and lung conditions, including asthma, and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Regardless of your health status or age, wildfire smoke can affect anyone.

Listen to your body, reduce exposure if the smoke affects you, and remember to look out for others around you.

Some people are at higher risk of experiencing adverse health effects, including infants and young people, pregnant women, older adults, and those with chronic lung and heart diseases. Wildfire smoke can also affect people who do strenuous outdoor work and sports.

The Health Unit advises people to take the following steps to protect their health during poor air quality:

• Limit outdoor activities and strenuous physical activity on smoky days. ● Consider wearing a well-fitted respirator-type mask if you work or spend a lot of time outdoors.
• Use a portable HEPA air cleaner to filter the air in a room where you spend a lot of time.
• Reduce sources of indoor air pollution, including smoking and vaping, burning incense and candles, using air purifiers that produce ozone, and using wood stoves.
• If the indoor temperatures are comfortable, close windows and doors. If you have an HVAC system in your home, use the highest-rated MERV filter for your system, ideally rated 13 or higher, and set the fan to recirculate air constantly.
• Visit public spaces like community centres and libraries which tend to have cleaner, cooler indoor air.
• When driving, keep the windows up and set the air conditioning to the ‘recirculate air’ setting to limit the intake of outdoor air.

Taking these precautions will help you avoid inhaling smoke during this current crisis.

Readers Comments (0)