How Do the California Wildfires Affect Your Health?

California Wildfires, Image by Getty Images via Daylife

When we made the move to Los Angeles for an acting career, we did not anticipate dealing with the California wildfires. But over the last 6 years since we’ve been here, we’ve had to learn how to deal with them.

The Good News — Wildfires Getting Under Control

It is good news that the California wildfires in the Angeles National Forest are now 42% contained (under  control).  The humidity is up, the wind has died down, and the temperatures are a little cooler and heading down.

The slight weather changes should allow the firefighters to continue to make gains in the battle with the wildfires that have been going on for over a week now in the Los Angeles area.

Fortunately, in our area, the air is a little better today than it was yesterday. With the cooler temperatures predicted for the weekend, that trend is likely to continue.

The Bad News

The bad news about the California Wildfires is that over 140,000 acres of the Angeles National Forest have burned, two firefighters have died, people have been injured, people have lost their homes, and the fire is still burning. And even worse, it is believed that the fire is the result of arson. And now there is some talk about there having been some toxic fumes in the air in one of the areas where the firefighters were stationed.

And now there is a new fire South of Los Angeles near Lake Elsinore.

The air quality continues to be extremely poor, and it is not likely to improve much for quite a while.

The threat of additional fires also still remains high, so residents in the L.A. area need to continue to be prepared for evacuation and need to think about the quality of the air they are breathing. (See Are You Prepared for the California Wildfires? for more information.)

Breathing In Smoke and Particles in the Air

Yesterday, when I ventured out to take kids to school, my eyes, nose, and throat were burning, and the windshield was covered in flakes of ash. The whole area was covered in a fog of smoke.

As a parent of a child actor, I am continuing to drive all over the area to auditions and rehearsals and to take care of other tasks related to my child actor’s acting career even with all the smoke and fire nearby.   This is yet another negative of making the move to the L.A. area in pursuit of an acting career for my daughter!

Life still goes on. But the smoke is taking its toll on all of us. We are all suffering with minor symptoms of smoke inhalation, and I am hoping it will get significantly better soon.

I took some time to do some more research on protecting my family from the dangers of breathing in the smoke and ash. I read all about the effects of the California wildfires and how to prevent health problems related to them. I’d like to share what I’ve found with you.

So, “How Are the California Wildfires Affecting Your Health?”  and what can you do about it?

One of the biggest dangers of the California wildfires is the danger of breathing the smoke and ash over a long period of time.  The smog in the L.A. area is not healthy even when there are not wildfires burning. But when you add the smoke and ash to the air, you end up with air that is very unhealthy.

What is the best way to protect yourself from the dangers of smoke inhalation?  Some good sources of information about the effects of smoke and how to protect yourself are listed below:

1. Respirator Fact Sheet.
2. How Smoke From Fires Can Affect Your Health.
3. LA County Updates – to check for emergency status in the LA County area, road closures, evacuation orders, etc., when there are fires or earthquakes or any other disasters. Additional very interesting information is provided here about preparation for evacuation.
4. CDC Information on Wildfires

Some good sites and good quality products to help filter the smoke and ash from the air and to help protect you from dangers related to fire are listed below:

1. Small face masks
2. Air purifiers
3. Evacuation kits
4. Heavy-duty masks and respirators

For continuing information about the fires, other events in the LA Area, and other topics on how to become a child actor, subscribe to Your Young Actor’s Newsletter.

To healthier air,

Debbie Sikkema

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