Your Health and Wildfire Smoke

Who is more sensitive to wildfire smoke?

Being sensitive to wildfire smoke means that you are at greater risk of experiencing a health effect if you breathe it, and that the effect may be more severe.

• People with heart disease (unusually sensitive).
• People with lung disease, including asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) (unusually sensitive).
• Older adults (60 and older).
• Children and teenagers.
• Pregnant people.
• Outdoor workers.

Additionally, social or economic situations may put some people at greater risk of harm from wildfire smoke. Examples include people without housing; people with limited mobility; people with low income who cannot access protective equipment or air filtering equipment; and people that live in areas with lower air quality.

Also, exercising or working outdoors increases the chance for harm, even if you are in good health. This is because the faster and deeper you breathe, as you would with exercise or physical labor, you increase the amount of wildfire smoke you take into your body. Likewise, the length of time you are outside increases the amount of smoke you are exposed to.

The health effects of wildfire smoke

Wildfire smoke can harm you in multiple ways. The health effects from breathing in wildfire smoke can range from stinging eyes, wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. Serious health effects can include triggering of asthma attacks and heart failure that can lead to premature death.

Learn more about who is sensitive to smoke and why at the EPA’s webpage, “Who is at greater risk to the effects of wildfire smoke?”

Guidance for air quality index: learn how to reduce your risk

The Air Quality Index (AQI) can help you to make decisions about how to protect your health at different levels of air pollution.

Know your risk:

• Check airnow.gov to know your local air quality.
• Sign up for email air quality alerts through the EnviroFlash system.
• If you have asthma or another lung disease or cardiovascular disease, follow your doctor’s advice about medicines and about your respiratory management plan. Call your doctor if your symptoms worsen when the AQI is Orange, or “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”, or above.

Stay indoors – this is the most protective option when air is unhealthy for you:

• Close windows and keep outside doors shut.
• Run air conditioning.
  • If your air conditioner has a fresh air option, close the intake. Use an air filter in your HVAC system (rated MERV-13 or better).
  • It is okay to use window air conditioning units. They should have:
    • tight seals between the unit and the window, and,
    • a recirculation mode that prevents pulling in outside air.
    • Learn more about adjusting your air conditioner at EPA's Indoor Air Quality webpage.
• Use an air filter (rated MERV-13 or better) to capture fine particles from smoke.
• If you do not have air conditioning or an air filter consider setting up a "clean room" where levels of smoke and other particles are kept as low as possible.
  • You can create a temporary air purifier with a 2012 or newer box fan and attaching a MERV-13 or higher air filter to it. Information is available at EPA's page on Do-it-Yourself Air Cleaners.
• Avoid activities that create pollution such as frying foods, sweeping, burning candles, vacuuming and smoking tobacco or other products.
• Seek shelter elsewhere if you do not have an air conditioner and it is too warm to stay inside with the windows closed. Call or text 211 or contact your local health department to find out if there is a shelter or cooling center nearby. Or consider spending time in an air-conditioned public place such as a library, mall, movie theater, etc.

If you must be outside:

• Consider using a mask. The best mask to use is a tight-fitting N95 or P100 respirator marked with “NIOSH.” If those are unavailable or do not fit well, KN95 and KF94 respirators are an option. Learn more at bit.ly/EPA-masks.  
• Choose less strenuous activities (like walking instead of running) so you don’t breathe as hard.
• Shorten the amount of time you are active outdoors.
• If you can, reschedule an activity to be outdoors when air quality is better.

For those with heart and lung conditions, including asthma

People with asthma and other heart and lung conditions can prepare to protect themselves by keeping N95 masks on hand and having at least one room in the house that has an air filter. This page on Asthma Action Plans can also help to prepare. Visit the MDHHS Asthma Interventions page for more information. 

For outdoor workers

See the OSHA National News Release for Employers for more information on outdoor work: https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/national/06092023

Guidance for air quality index categories

The Air Quality Index, or AQI is a color-coded way to see the levels of some types of air pollution, such as particulate matter (PM) and ozone. The higher the AQI, the worse the air quality is and the more cause for concern. The tables below are based on guidance from EPA and are related to air quality for particulate matter.

Air quality guide for particle pollution -- health considerations for everyone including sensitive populations: 

Air quality guide for particle pollution -- schools, daycares, and other outdoor activities: 

Guidance for health care providers:

• The EPA has a “Particulate Pollution Course: Patient Exposure and the Air Quality Index” that includes information on recommendations for patients on how to reduce their exposure to particle pollution and an AQI table.
• The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Americares partnered to create a Climate Resilience for Frontline Clinics Toolkit with a Wildfire section. This includes fact sheets for providers, fact sheets to hand out to patients, and content for administrators.
• MDHHS’s “Asthma Information for Health Care Professionals” includes more information on how to diagnose, treat and teach patients about how to manage their asthma. 

How to sign up for alerts

You can sign up for alerts through the EnviroFlash system. This subscriber system allows you to choose the area you would like to get alerts for. The system will send the alert directly to your email.

Follow MDHHS on social media for the most recent health and safety information:

• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services | Facebook
• Michigan HHS Dept (@MichiganHHS) | Twitter

For more information

• MDHHS "Learn How to Control Asthma" webpage.
• OSHA National News Release for Employers.
• Question about your pets and air quality? Check out the statement from the State Veterinarian's Office on Air Quality and Animal Health.
• Information specific to children's health:
  • EPA's webpage Protecting Children's Health During and After Natural Disasters: Wildfires & Volcanic Ash.
  • EPA's Protecting Children from Wildfire Smoke and Ash fact sheet.
• To learn more about asthma, including asthma interventions in Michigan, check out the MDHHS asthma page.

Resources:

• US EPA Wildfires and Smoke Map
• US EPA Interactive Map of Air Quality
• US EPA Fires and Your Health
• US EPA Particle Pollution
• EGLE Air Monitoring Information and Interactive Map
• Is Burning Allowed? and Michigan.gov/OpenBurning
• MDHHS Wildfire Smoke Infographics
• Wildfire Smoke and Our Health