With smoke from wildfires across the west being carried into Wyoming, residents are urged to be aware of health problems the air can bring and take precautions.
As of July 28, the National Interagency Fire Center reported 81 active large fires were burning across 12 states. Wind can carry smoke from wildfires across multiple states, affecting air quality conditions. On July 26, Airnow.gov showed air quality to be “moderate” and “unhealthy for sensitive groups” throughout most of Wyoming.
Crystal Hamblin, Director of Cardiopulmonary Services at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County, said wildfire smoke is full of pollutants and “wreaks havoc on the lungs.” She encourages people to stay inside as much as possible when the air is hazy.
If people start noticing symptoms like wheezing, being short of breath or increased coughing, they should contact their primary health care providers, Hamblin said. While smoke inhalation can irritate anyone’s lungs, some groups of people should be extra cautious.
For those with heart and lung conditions, including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma, breathing in smoky air increases their chances of exacerbating their condition, Hamblin explained. She recommends that people with these conditions talk to their primary health care provider about any extra precautions they need to take and to make sure they have what they need, such as rescue inhalers and medications. If possible, having extra medication on hand could help limit the need to go out in the bad air, Hamblin said.
Small children should also be kept indoors. Hamblin said children’s lungs are still developing until they’re eight or nine years old, making it crucial to keep their air as clean as possible as breathing in unhealthy air could change the way their lungs develop. Hamblin noted that this applies to not only hazy air and things like secondhand smoke, but even to smoke from campfires.
While the best precaution against hazy air is staying indoors, Hamblin said that some studies have found indoor air quality often isn’t healthy. She said that air filters, especially in appliances like swamp coolers, should be changed regularly.
Another precaution Hamblin encourages is for people to wear a mask while outdoors. She said she understands for some people, wearing a mask can make it feel like it’s hard to breathe, but masks help filter out small particles in the air from the smoke so those particles aren’t being breathed into the lungs.
Hamblin said Sweetwater Memorial has seen increased cases of respiratory issues this year. Many people have come in short of breath or with exacerbated respiratory conditions, she said. The hospital has also seen more cases of babies with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) than is usual for this early in the year. Hamblin noted that they can’t always pinpoint the cause of respiratory issues and can’t say for certain that the smoke is to blame, but she knows the smoke is one potential factor and the fact is that the hospital is “getting hit hard.”
Hamblin hopes that people who haven’t yet received the COVID-19 vaccine will be vaccinated soon, because if the hospital can deal with less COVID cases, they’ll be able to focus more on other issues. Hamblin admits she is worried about the summer since, with heightened fire conditions and new fires starting all the time, the air quality could potentially keep getting worse. She also said any time the wind changes directions, it brings in a whole new set of allergens and pollutants that can cause new problems. She is concerned about people’s health because of the continuing poor air quality.
Although there aren’t many options for responding to haze in the air — apart from staying indoors, wearing a mask and praying for rain — the hospital does have multiple options for helping those having trouble breathing because of the smoke.
Hamblin is confident in Sweetwater Memorial’s ability to handle increased cases of respiratory issues. She said the cardiopulmonary department has plenty of ventilators, as well as new equipment the hospital was able to purchase with funds received to help with COVID-19, which Hamblin views as a godsend. Hamblin said the new equipment the hospital received to help with COVID can also be used for people having trouble breathing because of smoke in the air. Some of the new equipment uses heated high-flow oxygen therapy. Hamblin said this technology uses humidity and high oxygen flow to break down mucus in the lungs and make it easier for the body to absorb, rather than cough it out.
This treatment can help prevent complications like pneumonia. Using resources like this early on can help prevent the need for more extreme measures like intubation.
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