Smoke From Historic Wildfires Smothers West, Blankets Much Of US
In the West, the dangerous air quality is deteriorating with hospitals reporting more cases of acute breathing issues. Public health experts are also worried about the longer-term health impact of prolonged smoke exposure. News outlets report on the latest wildfire conditions and what people can do to protect themselves.
AP:
Seeping Under Doors, Bad Air From West's Fires Won't Ease Up
Dangerously dirty air spewing from the West Coast wildfires is seeping into homes and businesses, sneaking into cars through air conditioning vents and preventing people already shut away by the coronavirus pandemic from enjoying a walk or trip to the park. People in Oregon, Washington state and California have been struggling for a week or longer under some of the most unhealthy air on the planet. The acrid yellow-green smog may linger for days or weeks, scientists and forecasters said. (Cline and Flaccus, 9/16)
Los Angeles Times:
2020 California Fires Are The Worst Ever. Again.
Although fire season is a perennial challenge in California, the scale and destruction of fires in recent years feel worse than anything many can remember. To see whether that’s true, The Times analyzed decades of data tracking California wildfires and the destruction they’ve wrought. The analysis found that wildfires and their compounding effects have intensified in recent years — and there’s little sign things will improve. (Krishnakumar and Kannan, 9/15)
The New York Times:
Some Of The Planet’s Most Polluted Skies Are Now Over The West Coast
The billowing wildfire smoke that has blanketed much of the West Coast with a caustic haze also began settling into the atmosphere thousands of miles away on Tuesday. While more favorable weather has allowed firefighters to make some progress against the devastating blazes in Oregon, the crisis was far from over: The largest fires were still mostly uncontained, the air has been some of the most polluted on the planet for a week, and the state was setting up a mobile morgue as crews continued to sift through the rubble for missing people. (Baker, 9/15)
The Washington Post:
Hazardous Smoke From Wildfires Continues To Smother West Coast
Thick, hazardous smoke could continue to smother the West Coast for days, hindering firefighters battling dozens of deadly blazes that continue to scorch the region. While a brief, long-awaited rain arrived along the Oregon coast on Tuesday, clearing up the skies in some parts of the state, officials warned that dangerous smoke will remain in the air through at least Thursday. (Schmidt and Livingston, 9/15)
USA Today:
Smoke From Western Wildfires Reaches East Coast; Mount Wilson Observatory At Risk In California; At Least 36 Dead
Intense smoke from historic wildfires that is filling the lungs of millions of Westerners is clouding skies across the nation. AccuWeather meteorologist Matt Benz said you can draw a line from California through St. Louis and on to Norfolk, Virginia – pretty much everyplace north of that line is looking at smoke-tainted skies. Areas south of that line see less smoke because of air coming up from the Gulf. "Amazingly, that wildfire smoke has traveled thousands of miles and finally has reached the East," Benz told USA TODAY. "It looks like clouds, but it is smoke. And we are stuck with this until the weather pattern changes." (Bacon, 9/15)
Concerns grow over the short- and long-term effects of smoke inhalation —
Los Angeles Times:
Your Questions About Air Quality Answered
Experts recommend that you stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed. If you have one, run an air conditioner that recirculates indoor air and has a clean filter. Air purifiers can also help. You can make a DIY air filter out of a box fan, an air filter and duct tape (just be careful with it). Avoid strenuous physical activity, especially outdoors. People with lung conditions such as asthma, as well as the elderly and children, should take extra precautions. Here are the answers to Times readers’ questions. (Tseng, Roy and Ballinger, 9/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
How To Protect Yourself From Wildfire Smoke
There are steps to protect against the smoke and the pandemic, according to health and environmental experts. Here’s what they say about the smoke’s dangers and steps to protect against them in the midst of the pandemic. (McCabe, 9/16)
National Geographic:
How Breathing In Wildfire Smoke Affects The Body
When a healthy person breathes in air tinged with smoke from the fires, they may feel a sting in their eyes, and when they cough, they may have trouble recovering their breath. But what happens to that same individual when they breathe smoky air for extended periods every year is still unclear. “People were once exposed once or twice in a lifetime,” says Keith Bein, an atmospheric scientist at the University of California, Davis. “Now it’s happening every summer and for longer.” (Gibbens and McKeever, 9/15)
KATU:
Long-Term Health Effects Of Wildfire Smoke Still Unknown
But what about the long-term effects of this wildfire smoke? Perry Hystad, an associate professor who studies wildfire smoke impacts at Oregon State University, said researchers have looked at health impacts in the days and weeks following exposure to high levels of smoke. He said they have studied how poor air quality over decades has impacted health outcomes in places like India or China. But, "We really haven’t done the studies needed to say what is a week-long, really high exposure mean for your health, when usually you are at a low-level," said Hystad. (Thomas, 9/16)
Also —
Reuters:
Thousands Of Oregon Evacuees Shelter From Wildfires As U.S. Disaster Declared
Thousands of evacuees displaced by deadly wildfires in Oregon settled into a second week of life in shelters and car camping on Tuesday as fire crews battled on, and search teams scoured the ruins of incinerated homes for the missing. With state resources stretched to their limit, President Donald Trump approved a request from Oregon’s governor for a federal disaster declaration, bolstering U.S. government assistance for emergency response and relief efforts. (Bloom and Brooks, 9/15)
Kaiser Health News:
Tough To Tell COVID From Smoke Inhalation Symptoms — And Flu Season’s Coming
The patients walk into Dr. Melissa Marshall’s community clinics in Northern California with the telltale symptoms. They’re having trouble breathing. It may even hurt to inhale. They’ve got a cough, and the sore throat is definitely there. A straight case of COVID-19? Not so fast. This is wildfire country. (Kreidler, 9/16)
