Smoke From LA Fires Is Especially Dangerous

"Wildfires in California aren't all wild anymore," the Wall Street Journal reports, meaning it's not just trees and brush going up in smoke. The fires burning throughout Los Angeles County have decimated urban areas, charring roads, homes, and commercial buildings, sending out particles likely to be "a lot more toxic" than those from a wood fire, a wildfire smoke expert tells the Journal. "When you burn plastic, for instance, or you burn rubber, you get some pretty nasty stuff," adds a doctor. At present, the air quality is dangerous across much of California's Southland, per the Los Angeles Times. But the smoke may pose a concern even if for those not in the immediate area.

It can linger in the atmosphere for weeks, becoming ever more toxic, and travel hundreds of miles, reports USA Today. Chemicals linked to multiple cancers have been found in California wildfire smoke, in addition to microplastics, mercury, lead, and carbon monoxide. Most dangerous is particulate matter, a mix of solid and liquid particles suspended in the air. The smallest particulate matter, of less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, can reach deep into the lungs and bloodstream and travel to other organs. "Exposure to PM 2.5 during wildfires is linked to an increased risk of cardiac arrests, heart failure, asthma attacks, strokes and other diseases," per the Journal.

A recent study blamed more than 50,000 deaths in California between 2008 and 2018 on PM 2.5 exposure from wildfire smoke. People with lung and heart conditions, children, pregnant women, and older adults are most vulnerable, though anyone can suffer respiratory effects, which could take hours or days to appear. Officials recommend keeping an eye on air quality reports for your area. If smoke does reach you, wear an N95 or P-100 respirator with a tight seal if you have to go outside, per the Times. When inside, keep doors and windows closed and use air purifiers and filters with a MERV rating of 13 or higher. And when driving, use air recirculation to prevent outside air from being drawn inside. (More Palisades Fire stories.)