How Smoke From Fires Can Affect Your Health: Must-Know Health Hazards
By: 911 Water Damage Experts
It is advised that whenever you are near smoke, you should try to avoid inhaling it at all costs.
This is especially important if you are very close to the fire, smoke is bad for everyone.
Smoke is a mixture of fine particles and gasses that are created when something is burning. The most hazardous part of smoke that is considered the biggest threat to your health are the fine particles.
These can go deep into your lungs and create a series of conditions that are very serious, like, lung disease and chronic heart disease – both can cause death.
Who is the most vulnerable to smoke damage?
-Children and teenagers: their bodies are still in a stage of development, so they inhale more air than any other adult, and this means they inhale more polluted air too. This is one of the causes that lead to asthma.
-Elderly people: this group is at a higher risk of heart or lung disease.
-Person with a chronic condition: any person that is dealing with a chronic issue such as asthma, heart disease, angina, heart failure, emphysema, or pulmonary disease should keep at bay and as far away from contact with smoke as possible.
-People with diabetes: in this case, there is a greater risk of dealing with cardiovascular disease.
-Pregnancy: any pregnant woman should be removed from the premises where there is a cloud of smoke because the potential underlying issues are going to negatively affect both the woman and the baby.
So, how do you know that the smoke from a fire is affecting you?
Anyone who starts experiencing cough, phlegm, runny nose, burning in the eye area, difficulty breathing et al. then it is safe to say they have side effects from inhaling smoke.
People who also have some respiratory issues and an underlying heart condition could have some more serious consequences.
These may include discomfort in the chest, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and fatigue.
How to protect yourself from smoke from a fire?
-Whenever there is a fire, pay close attention to the air quality reports: the smoke can only get worse, thus increasing the particle concentration. The air quality reports are just at the tips of your fingers, so make sure to be updated.
-Sometimes common sense is the best guidance: even if the information is not yet available to you, if you see smoke outside, it might not be a good time to go out for outdoor activity. This goes for children too – especially those that are dealing with asthma – and if by any chance they are already outside, bring them in and closely monitor their symptoms.
-It is more than a dust mask: any surgical masks or dust masks will not shield you from the particles found in smoke. You can forget about any bandanas and scarves too. The only thing that might be able to help you is an N-95 respirator mask, but only if it is used correctly. You can find them in any home repair store or hardware store, or you can even get them online.
-Listen to what you are being advised on: if you are advised to stay inside, then make sure to keep the air clean for as long as you can. If it is not extremely hot outside, then keep the doors and windows closed at all times. This would be a great chance to use your air conditioner (if you own one).
The only thing you need to make sure of is to maintain the cleanliness of the filter, thus preventing any smoke from coming inside the home. You can open your doors and windows as soon as the quality of the air outside is improved.
However, if you do not own an air conditioner and the weather outside is extremely hot, then it is not advisable to keep all the windows and doors closed. In cases such as these, make sure to have an alternative shelter, or maybe visit any relatives and friends that do have an air-conditioned room for you.
-Maintain the levels of particles in the home at a low level: if there is a longer period where the smoke brought by fire is pretty heavy, then the best thing to do would be to try to keep the particles at a low level.
They can build up indoors very easily without being visible to you. In this case, make sure to avoid using anything that can burn – not even a candle, gas stoves, fireplaces, gas logs, etc. also, try not to vacuum and not to smoke too – this will further disrupt the particles and can escalate and cause a more serious situation.
-If you are dealing with a serious condition: the pointers that are given to you by your healthcare provider are the only ones you have to follow. If you are dealing with cardiovascular disease, lung disease, or asthma, then make sure to take the medicine you need as prescribed and keep calm.
Check your supply, and make sure to have at least 5 days’ worth of medicine. Keep a close eye on the symptoms, and if any of them worsen, then contact your health provider or 9-1-1 (depending on the seriousness of your current condition).
Overall, keeping yourself safe from smoke that comes from fire is very important. If you are one of those people who can be easily affected, then you need to be aware of the ways the smoke can affect your health, and how to prevent it.
We are hoping we have provided you with a small guideline on how to act if you find yourself in this kind of situation.
If you have any questions about smoke damage restoration or fire damage services feel free to call us at 1-833-WE-DRY-IT or drop a message on our Facebook fan page any time 24/7/365 all the time, we’re there when you need us!
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