Air pollution from the raging wildfires in Northern California is impacting the health of Bay Area residents.
Even in those who are healthy, a short duration of exposure to wildfire smoke can cause eye and throat irritation, scratchy throat, coughing, said Dr. Mary Prunicki, director of air pollution and health research at Stanford University.
"When there’s wildfire smoke there are increases in emergency room visits and hospital admissions," she told KCBS Radio.
After two hours of exposure to wildfire smoke, a community will commonly see an increase in ambulance calls for respiratory and cardiac distress.
"Studies have shown that wildfire smoke, the particulate matter coming from that, is probably 10 times more toxic than the particulate matter in general air pollution from cars and industry," Prunicki explained.
Wildfire smoke has also been linked to COVID-19 infection rates and COVID-19 death rates.
At a press availability at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Prunicki stressed that air filtration units can’t mitigate the health impacts of wildfire smoke.
As smoky skies linger throughout the weekend, officials advise people in the Bay Area to stay indoors with their windows and doors closed to diminish exposure to smoke.
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