There isn’t any published research yet about long-term physical effects of
wildfire smoke on people in affected area communities, and not much about them in wildfire-fighters, either. However, wildfire-fighters are known to
experience chronic lung and systemic inflammation from smoke that probably
contributes to development of respiratory diseases in some cases.
Wildfire smoke particulate matter is made of some of the same chemicals that human-caused particulate matter is made of, but there are some chemical differences between them. Because of the differences and lack of wildfire smoke research, we don't know if the smoke can exacerbate autoimmune diseases like human-caused particulate matter does.
Wildfire smoke particulate matter is made of some of the same chemicals that human-caused particulate matter is made of, but there are some chemical differences between them. Because of the differences and lack of wildfire smoke research, we don't know if the smoke can exacerbate autoimmune diseases like human-caused particulate matter does.
to name few:chronic lung deseases, cancer,cardiovascular not treated deseases, mortality...
ReplyDeletePeer-reviewed medical research began being published in 2010 re: air pollution and auto immune flares. By 2014, meta analyses were published. Last August (2017) I became ghastly ill; then figured out why - wildfires. All auto immune illnesses (RA, AS, Sjogren's, Raynaud's but especially - so far - SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus) are exacerbated by air pollution - wildfires. Despite recycled AC and in 2018 HEPA filters, I am still struggling but not quite as badly.
DeleteWildfire smoke probably causes progression of some chronic lung diseases and some cardiovascular diseases but probably not progression of cancers. Unfortunately, there's no published research on these topics. On the other hand, there is some research showing increased mortality rates in wildfire smoke-exposed populations.
Deleteit was very helpful when you posted satelite image - can you pls include it once a day on your blog
ReplyDeleteYou can always see the satellite pics at https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/
Deletethank u very much, Ranil!
DeleteWouldn't the health effects be the same as those of wood smoke? Your own Dept of Ecology has an extensive document about those at https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/documents/91br023.pdf
ReplyDeleteWildfire smoke is chemically similar to residential wood smoke but not exactly. The difference is mainly because wildfires consume everything in their path - not just wood. Also, for brief periods, wildfire smoke concentrations tend to be much greater than residential wood smoke concentrations. Unlike wildfire smoke, wood smoke occurs repeatedly throughout each 7-month heating season.
DeleteThis statewide smoke has been going in Puget Sound for two straight summers now. Is this to be a yearly event, but getting worse each year?
ReplyDeleteIt all depends on BC wildfires. They have had two record wildfire years in a row now. If BC wildfires continue to be extreme, we will see the smoke in Puget Sound sometimes.
DeleteIt is early on Thursday morning.
ReplyDeleteThis morning the data from the WAQA site does not correlate to the data from the EPA AQI the same as I recall other days. When comparing these two values earlier this week, the EPA value always tended to be the lower of the two. Now the EPA value is rather elevated from the WAQA value.
I live closest to the Lacey/College St. monitoring station. The visibility in my area seems negligibly improved from late last night. Currently the Lacey WAQA is 107 from the site information link. The opening page of the website has Lacey WACA at 266, with 11pm being the last reading. The EPA Airnow site has the current AQI at Unhealthy at 5am.
My concerns are that he local monitoring site may not be producing a valid read at the moment and the high school sports tryouts that have been held inside this week may move outside today in error. Is there a way to confirm monitoring stations are collecting current data and displaying it correctly?
Thank you for all the helpful information on this site!
Our monitoring system went down at 11PM last night and data arent current. AirNow seems to persist with the last available readings, even though all other indications suggest much improved conditions overnight. We're digging into it. Please check back shortly.
DeleteThe Federal AQI and Washington State WAQA are not the same.
DeleteWAQA vs. AQI
EPA uses its own air quality reporting system called the Air Quality Index (AQI). Both use color-coded categories to show when air quality is good, moderate, or unhealthy. The difference is that the state's WAQA is based on lower levels of fine particle pollution than the federal AQI. This allows us to alert you earlier to protect your health.
Studies show that levels of particles in the air that we previously thought were safe can cause illness and death. Some examples of fine particles are smoke and dust.
https://ecology.wa.gov/Research-Data/Monitoring-assessment/Washington-Air-Quality-Advisory
Thanks Randy for clearing up some confusion, but I still find issues like what OP is saying even comparing what I think should be the same AQ reports.
DeleteRight now at 7P Saturday Aug 25 for Lake Forest Park:
1) This site, which says it AQ is from WA DOE has a reading of 136: http://aqicn.org/city/usa/washington/lake-forest-park/town-center/
2) The site for the WA DOE LFP monitor has a reading of 173: https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/StationInfo.aspx?ST_ID=23
3) The map showing the monitor for #2 above as well as others in the area has most of them in the King and Snohomish area as orange and red dots: https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/
4) Yet the PS Clean Air map shows mostly yellow dots, tho the shading for the counties is orange.
I find having these sites have such disparate information really confusing and basically makes it impossible for me to know what to do. Maybe this blog should do a post to explain which reading to use to make decisions about outdoor activities....
All, AQICN differs from all of the above sites in how it calculates the index. That site is optimized for east Asian conditions and is based on a slightly different set of assumptions, over which we have no control over.
DeleteBTW PSCAA's map does show LFP's current level as orange right now, ECY's map shows red.
Ecology's WAQA scheme is more conservative than EPA's (and PSCAA's) AQI, meaning WAQA will provide a bleaker assessment of air quality. This means people could take preventive measures at an earlier stage and reduce their overall exposure. Ecology has consistently advised people to use the monitoring map which provides a worse assessment of air quality, i.e. is more protective of public health.
I believe if you see "AQI" anywhere you're looking at Federal EPA numbers,such as here:
Deletehttps://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city&zipcode=98226&submit=Go
If you see "WAQA" then it is Washington State's own, different, air quality value. Such as here:
https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/StationInfo.aspx?ST_ID=195
I'd suggest everyone pick one measurement system and stick with it.
Our air in Port Angeles continues to be in the unhealthy zone tonight, Thursday 8/23 even though air quality improved on the coast and in Seattle area. Is there hope for improvement in air quality over the weekend or will we be continuing to get the smoke from Vancouver Island?
ReplyDeleteAir quality in PA/ PT hasn't improved as much as expected today. Not sure if smoke from the Maple fire is reaching there. We're still hopeful that they will ventilate out somewhat tomorrow AM. Vancouver island fires are likely to send smoke toward the Olympic Peninsula by Saturday, but we dont know for sure if it will make its way through the strait.
DeleteWhat kind of things can we do to help protect us from excessive smoke inhalation over a prolonged time? I have only experienced wildfire smoke for a couple days at a time. This has gone on for a couple weeks already, and will likely continue for a while longer. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThe basic steps that we recommend for short- or long-term smoke events are all about reducing your exposure. Start by reducing time & activity outdoors, and if you go indoors, take steps to keep indoor air clean. To keep indoor air clean: close windows and doors as you are able to, don’t contribute to indoor air pollution with things like candles or cigarette smoke, and use an air cleaner with a HEPA filter.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to cleaning the air indoors to reduce particle levels, this can mean either getting a portable air cleaner with a HEPA filter that will work in individual rooms or upgrading the filter on your home ventilation system. If it’s a portable air cleaner, check the CA Air Resource Board website below to ensure that it is certified to not produce ozone, a respiratory irritant. Upgrading the filter on your home ventilation system will help to remove particulates from the air if you have a whole house ventilation system and can run the fan to recirculate air. A Minimum Efficiency Rating Value (MERV) of 13 or higher, with the deepest pleat width your system can accommodate, is recommended, but you will need to check with your HVAC technician to see if your system can handle a higher MERV filter. Filters need to fit tight and be replaced when full.
Improving Indoor Air Quality for Wildfire Smoke (DOH): https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/Pubs/333-208.pdf
Portable Air Cleaners and HVAC Filters (EPA): https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-07/documents/guide_to_air_cleaners_in_the_home_2nd_edition.pdf
Certified Portable Air Cleaners (CA Air Resources Board): https://www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/aircleaners/consumers.htm