The smoke coming from the three major fires burning in Southern California could pose a threat to our lungs.
Dr. Narman Saddat with Providence Saint Joe’s spoke with KNX News’ Karen Adams about the kind of damage inhaling too much smoke could do.
“When we breathe smoke, the body considers that as a foreign poisonous thing and [tries] to fight it back and that will cause bronchospasm, which means, the airways get tight because they do not want to let this air get in,” he said. “But at the same time, when we have this bronchospasm it's gonna make it hard for us, but we are not getting any airing. And if we are exposed to this smoke, that can give us these airways, they can get bronchospasm even without getting exposed.”
He added that symptoms people should look out for include a scratchy throat, headaches, and even runny nose. Those who have chronic lung diseases may experience worse symptoms.
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“They may have difficulty breathing, start wheezing, having cough, and usually they can have an asthma attack,” he said.
Children, pregnant women, and the elderly are most vulnerable to the smoke.
Dr. Saddat encouraged residents to limit their time outdoors whether they see or smell smoke and if they must go outside, they should check the air quality.
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