Fire season: how to avoid the health effects of smoke

Summer is coming and with it the big fires in the central area of ​​Chile. So far, as of December 26, 2023, more than 5,000 hectares have been affected by the fire. And many more kilometers because of the smoke that moves with the wind.

On December 10 alone, officially still in spring, more than 50 forestry accidents were recorded in different regions of the country. A already seen: In February and March of this year, the fire devastated more than 450,000 hectares in seven regions, leading the government to declare a state of emergency in three of them: Biobío, Ñuble and Araucanía.

“Fire season” some have infamously called the summer of global boiling, one that predicts a worsening water crisis, record maximum temperatures and an increase in major forest disasters. A prediction that seems inevitable even if logic would say the opposite: according to the authorities, 99% of fires are started by people.

The main victims are of course the people who see their land or homes threatened by the flames. But there are also hundreds of thousands, even millions, of Chileans who do not run any vital or material risk, but who see their quality of life altered – and undermined – by smoke. What can I do to avoid suffering so much?

“The light is strange,” one woman says to another, as they wait for the green light to cross a street in central Santiago. For sure. It’s almost 6 p.m. on a summer day, but it feels more like an autumn morning. Sunlight becomes pale and opaque, due to a fog-like curtain. But these are not water particles but gaseous particles, typical of incomplete combustion. It’s smoke. And it smells like that: dense, heavy and toxic.

One of the many consequences of the fires recorded in recent weeks in the country is the advance of significant clouds of smoke several kilometers around the incendiary source which generated them. There were several mornings, afternoons and nights during which it covered, for example, the sky of a good part of Santiago.

According to Javier Maldonado, head of emergency services at the RedSalud Providencia clinic, exposure to smoke can have harmful repercussions on our health, since it contains very irritating compounds and could lead to the development of inflammation of the respiratory tract. .

“Some symptoms people may experience are throat irritation, red eyes, runny nose, chest pain and headaches,” explains the emergency doctor.

Exposure to smoke is particularly risky for the elderly, pregnant women and children. The latter, says Maldonado, are still developing their airways, “so they can react more exacerbated to chemical agents.”

Patients with chronic diseases, both respiratory and cardiovascular, are also part of the population at risk, so they may be more sensitive to discomfort, such as cough or bronchial obstruction.

But smoke is not the only cause for concern in the current context. The El Niño phenomenon, which is still affecting the country, threatens to generate heat waves with record maximum temperatures this summer. This increases the risk of heat stroke in people.

“It is a serious disorder that results from an increase in body temperature that is difficult to lower, usually due to prolonged exposure to high temperatures or physical exertion on hot days,” explains Maldonado.

Some of the main symptoms of heatstroke include fever, intense thirst, headache, muscle weakness and cramps, hot, red, dry skin, tachycardia, nausea, vomiting or lack of sweating due to dehydration, among others.

“When smoke and heat combine, the risk of adverse health effects increases,” warns Ricardo González, emergency doctor at Clínica Alemana. “For example, in patients with chronic lung disease – such as asthma, bronchial hyperresponsiveness or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – smoke may cause some type of decompensation of their underlying pathology.”

Something similar happens in those who suffer from chronic kidney disease. “In those who are on dialysis and have low fluid intake, heat can increase the risk of dysregulation of their temperature and hydration. Even hypertensive patients who use diuretics, because fluid losses due to heat are much greater,” explains González.

Smoke and heat: a combination that is not only very threatening in its exposure, but extremely difficult to control. How can we avoid exposing ourselves to its effects when both factors are present?

In the presence of smoke caused by a fire, specialists say, the ideal is not to go out and, if possible, to stay at home or at your workplace. “The main recommendations for people, especially at-risk populations, are to keep windows and doors closed, to ventilate rooms daily and to keep indoor air as pure as possible,” explains Javier Maldonado.

“It is essential to avoid activities that add more pollution indoors, such as smoking,” adds the emergency doctor from RedSalud Providencia.

Ricardo González reaffirms the principle of keeping the air inside the house “as clean as possible”. To do this, it is advisable to seal the cracks in windows and doors to prevent smoke particles from entering. Some useful items for these purposes are damp cloths and weather stripping.

It is possible that particles can still be filtered this way. When this happens, they usually leave a layer of dust on various surfaces, such as the floor, furniture or appliances. It is important when cleaning to take certain precautions, such as not using feather dusters. “You have to use a damp cloth to prevent the particles from recirculating in the air,” explains González.

To deal with the heat, Maldonado suggests keeping blinds and curtains closed during hours peak and open them at night to ventilate and cool the house. Electrical appliances, such as fans, air conditioning or air coolers, are also recommended.

“If they use air conditioning, the ideal temperature is 20 degrees, not less. And it is advisable not to put it towards the face. This will help prevent congestion, rhinitis, the feeling of suffocation and lack of air, because the combination of smoke from the fire and heat will produce these conditions, especially in the elderly, chronic patients and children under 5 years old,” said the emergency doctor. precise.

What about air purifiers? “They are useful provided there is also a good natural ventilation system. My recommendation would be to choose those that do not contain odors so as not to cause additional irritation to the respiratory tract,” responds Maldonado.

We have already said it: it is recommended not to go out when smoke and heat threaten, to avoid exposing yourself to their harmful effects. However, it will not always be possible to follow this indication. In this case, specialists advise using masks or objects covering the nose and mouth to prevent the passage of smoke particles.

“A good measure is the use of KN95 masks, which are easily accessible after the pandemic. They allow a more adequate seal and can trap a significant percentage of these smoke particles, reducing the risk of suffering adverse health effects,” explains Ricardo González.

Added to this are the following tips:

• Avoid exposing yourself to the environment between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., when the temperature reaches its maximum.
• Wear comfortable light-colored cotton clothing, hats and sunglasses, and SPF 50+ sunscreen.
• Keep your body adequately hydrated and drink between 2 and 2.5 liters of water per day.