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Welcome to Health Lab, your destination for news and stories about the future of health care. Today: Wildfires - How to protect your lung health in poor air quality. Experts offer advice for living in hazardous ranges.

One of the unfortunate effects of climate change is an increase in the number and intensity of wildfires. 

Air pollution and resulting poor air quality from wildfires is becoming an increasingly common occurrence, pushing the Air Quality index—a numerical system running from 0 to 500 used by the EPA to report air quality—in many areas of the country into the unhealthy and very unhealthy ranges. 

MeiLan Han, M.D., chief of pulmonary and critical care at University of Michigan Health and spokesperson for the American Lung Association, as well as Alexander Rabin, M.D., also a pulmonary and critical care doctor, discuss what this means and how you can cut down on your risk of illness due to exposure to poor air quality.

What does breathing "very unhealthy" air do to your lungs?

For patients with lung diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, air pollution can make it immediately hard to breathe. 

For children and teens, air pollution can impact lung development. 

And for individuals with cardiovascular disease, particle pollution can actually increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. 

Yet, even when the Air Quality Index reaches an unhealthy range, the health of people without underlying conditions can also be impacted.

Rabin says air quality is always a good enough reason to evacuate wherever you are, if possible, especially if you're part of a vulnerable population.

How can you protect yourself when the air quality is dangerous?

Limit the amount of time spent outside, if possible, when the Air Quality Index is high. 

If you must go outdoors, try to limit exercising that requires you to take repeated, large breaths, but if air pollution is high outside, avoid exercising outdoors. 

Wearing an N-95 mask outdoors can also help to mitigate risk when you must go outside.

Turning the air re-circulator on in your car can also provide added protection from soot and smoke.

And if you have central air conditioning in your home, running it will also help to limit the amount of air pollution from outdoors circulating inside. 

If you don’t have one, you can build an air filter at home for around $25. See the link in the show notes for more details.

People at particularly increased risk from harmful effects of smoke include pregnant people, children, older adults and those with chronic health conditions or who are immunocompromised.

However, when the Air Quality Index reaches the “unhealthy” zone, even those without underlying conditions may begin to notice difficulty breathing or burning sensations in their eyes and throat.

Rabin does note though, that in general, only a couple days of exposure to smoke is unlikely to have long term effects for healthy people. 

What symptoms, if present, should you seek medical help for when air quality is poor?

Anyone who is experiencing significant respiratory difficulties should seek immediate medical attention. 

In patients with an underlying lung condition like asthma, they should keep a rescue inhaler on hand.

For links from this story, more on this story, or for other articles like this, visit michiganmedicine.org/health-lab.

Health Lab is a part of the Michigan Medicine Podcast Network, and is produced by the Michigan Medicine Department of Communication. You can subscribe to Health Lab wherever you listen to podcasts.