As the summertime temperatures rise across the United States, the incidence of wildfires also begins to soar, causing severe problems with air quality. Smoke is made up of a complex mixture of gases and fine particulate matter in the air. When smoke gets into the eyes and lungs, it can cause itching and burning of the eyes, coughing, wheezing, or tightness of the chest or shortness of breath. A scratchy throat, headaches, or severe fatigue may also occur. Children, the elderly, and those with underlying chronic heart and lung diseases may experience more symptoms at a lower smoke level, so extra precautions need to be taken.

1. Check the air quality in your area frequently. Your local news channel or www.airnow.gov are excellent resources. When the air quality begins to deteriorate, appropriate measures can be taken.

2. Check your peak flowmeter reading daily. Often those with chronic lung diseases have trouble recognizing when their breathing is getting worse until it becomes quite severe. Peak flowmeters can alert you to subtle changes and help you take early action.

3. Always keep at least one week’s worth of asthma medications on hand. It’s a bad time to find out that your inhaler is empty in the middle of an asthma attack on a smoky day when you shouldn’t go out anyway!

4. Stay inside as much as possible. Keep the doors and windows shut. If you have one, use the air conditioner in the air recirculating mode to keep from bringing in the outside polluted air. Use an air purifier or filter if you have one. Check into buying one before fire season starts! Don’t use an ozone air purifier as it may make your asthma worse. If you must go outside, avoid exercising or strenuous activity. Keep young children inside and forget about mowing the lawn! If you live in a fire-prone area, you might want to always keep extra non-perishable food on hand at all times so you don’t have to go out on bad air quality days.

5. Leave the area. If you know you are particularly sensitive to smoke or if your symptoms are worsening, it may be best to relocate with a friend or relative in another area temporarily.

6. Have an asthma action plan. Talk to your doctor ahead of time about an asthma action plan so you know exactly what to do if your symptoms or peak flow meter readings begin to worsen.

7. Don’t bother with dust masks. Dust masks only prevent you from breathing in large particles such as sawdust. It won’t help prevent you from breathing in the tiny particles found in smoke.

8. Drink lots of water. This will help prevent the dry air from further aggravating your lungs and throat.

Taking these simple precautions can help asthmatics breathe easier and possibly even save lives!