SPOKANE, Wash. — Residents in Spokane County awoke to hazardous air quality on Sunday morning. Medical experts are now advising people to limit their time outdoors and to monitor their own health status.
Two large wildfires have been burning out of control in Medical Lake and near Elk since Friday afternoon. The dual fires have burned almost 20,000 acres between them, pumping heavy smoke into the air. As of Sunday morning, the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency clocked an Air Quality Index (AQI) of more than 465.
“The trouble is at the really high particulate levels, like we're seeing today, which are off the charts. It's not going to take a lot of breathing in that environment to get a substantial exposure to your respiratory tract and your circulatory system,” said Dr. Benjamin Arthurs, a pulmonologist with MultiCare.
He said they are seeing an increase in smoke exposure patients at their clinics since the fires began, some of whom have been sent to the emergency room.
“We know that the intensity and duration of exposure to these particulates is likely to increase the risk of complications, both acute and long term,” Dr. Arthurs continued.
Wildfire smoke particulates can enter the body through breathing them in or through the eyes. Once in the body they can settle in the lungs and the blood stream. Dr. Arthurs says that the short term effects are as mild as inflammation and irritation but can be as serious as a heart attack or stroke.
The CDC identifies people at risk for harmful health effects from wildfire smoke as adults aged 65 years or older, children, pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions such as heart or lung disease. With AQI as high as it is right now, even the average person can feel the impact of breathing in the smoke.
“I think it is really crucial, again, when we take that kind of common sense principle of avoiding as much exposure as you can indoors is a relatively safe place to be, so long as you're in a structure, a home, a building that is well sealed off to the outside environment,” Dr. Arthurs said.
The City of Spokane has opened safer air centers in the city to help people get out of the smoke. For those unable to access the safer air center, alternative indoor options are available. The Spokane Transit Authority (STA) Plaza downtown is open during specific hours on weekdays and weekends, offering a reprieve from unhealthy air.
For people who need to go outside, Dr. Arthurs said the only reliable protection from the wildfire smoke in an N95 respirator mask. Surgical and KN95 masks are not as effective for filtering out small smoke particulates.
There are some things people do to combat the symptoms they might already be feeling from the smoke. Dr. Arthurs said antihistamine pills and eye drops can help with seasonal allergy-like symptoms, but people should consult with a pharmacist before making that decision.
He also urges people to be monitoring their own health and now when to reach out to a doctor.
“It's really important that people take seriously chest pain symptoms,” Dr. Arthurs said. “It's common to get a little bit of irritation and chest tightness, but if there's new onset, sudden chest pain, it demands evaluation.”
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