By Nancy Young and Ryan Hutchins
Your throat is scratchy and your eyes are watering. You're coughing and feel generally yucky - all because of the smoke.
Should you worry?
Probably not. But if you can, stay inside anyway.
After the smoke dissipates, there do not appear to be long-term health effects from wildfires, said Dr. Michael Ryan, a pulmonologist at Eastern Virginia Medical School. "The best thing that helps is to just stay inside."
As he talked, Ryan, who is an assistant professor in the pulmonary and critical care division at EVMS, would punctuate his sentences with a little cough.
"That's from this," Ryan said. And most people, no matter how healthy, will have some level of discomfort from the wildfire smoke that has descended on the region.
That discomfort has shifted with the winds since a massive wildfire began in rural eastern North Carolina on June 1, causing some with pre-existing respiratory ailments to seek medical attention.
Since then, people in the region, on the whim of winds, have had days where the air was clear or where there was just a faint whiff of smoke. Other days, like Monday in downtown Norfolk, a thick, smelly haze enveloped the area.
For most healthy people, that's probably more an annoyance - a sore throat, watery eyes - than a true health risk, Ryan said. Still, he advised anyone who is really worried to see a doctor to make sure they're OK.
"There's been some indications that there have been some people suffering from problems with breathing, but I am not aware of any serious health problems," said Bill Furney, a spokesman for the North Carolina Office of Public Health Preparedness.
People with pre-existing respiratory and other health conditions are bearing the biggest brunt from the smoke, which can exacerbate conditions such as asthma, emphysema, allergies and migraines. Some hospitals and emergency departments in Hampton Roads and northeast North Carolina are reporting an uptick in people seeking help as a result of the smoke.
Jerry Parks, the health director of Albemarle Regional Health Services, based in Elizabeth City, N.C., sent a memorandum to health personnel last week advising them to monitor weather reports, maintain a good indoor air quality and be sure higher risk patients are watched closely.
"Closely monitor pediatric, elderly, ventilator, cardiovascular and respiratory disease patients who are at particular risk for smoke exposure," Parks wrote. "Apparently stable condition can deteriorate under these circumstances."
In Hampton Roads, some child care centers were either keeping children inside or limiting the amount of time they were outdoors. At Great Bridge Child Care in Chesapeake, director Sandra Higgerson said staff members were deciding whether to limit outside play time depending on how thick the smoke was at the time. She said workers are aware of which children have asthma and they're keeping a close eye on them.
During a normal 12-hour shift at the emergency department at Bon Secours Health Center at Harbour View in Suffolk, Dr. Brian Gruber said he would see two or three people with complications from pre-existing respiratory disease. "Now I'm seeing, eight to nine or 10," Gruber said.
The smoke is not just affecting those with respiratory conditions, Gruber said. Smoke is also a migraine trigger. In a normal week, he might see three people with migraines; now it's more like 10.
"Smoke, or the smell of smoke, is one of the most common things that will set a lot of people off," Gruber said.
Gruber said the air outside can be like being in a house "full of cigarette smoke," so to get some fresh air, go inside and turn on the air conditioner, which will help filter both the particles and the smell.
The only other solution is just a bit outside our control.
"The wind needs to blow another way," Gruber said.
Staff writer Elizabeth Simpson contributed to this story.
Nancy Young, (757) 446-2947, nancy.young@pilotonline.com
Ryan Hutchins, (252) 441-1627, ryan.hutchins@pilotonline.com
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wayneh73569
Wayne, people have been fighting forest fires all over this country for over 100 years now. I've worked on a number of them out west. Every summer, all over the country, we have wildfires. They require people to get out there with hand tools and dig fire lines around them. There are people who do this, month after month every year. They breath the smoke day after day. Thousands of people. Some do wear masks but most do not. My father was one of them. He and others like him have lived into their 90's. He, and many others like him are still healthy, and for that matter, healthier than a lot of other people who are exposed to the carbon monoxide from vehicles and other chemicals in the air of this area. Sure the smoke is irritating, and it is irritating to the firefighters too, but those symptoms will go away after a few days of breathing what goes for clean air around here and unless you have some sort of respitory problems, the affects won't be long lasting.
Ban All Forrests From Smoking...
I think it's bad that these forests and swamps think it's ok to go ahead and smoke. I think we need to outlaw Smoking Forests. Second Hand smoke from these forests cause issues with driving in traffic, make it hard to breath, make it hard to see, make my office smell, makes my house smell, and in general make it hard to live.
They add un-needed carbon into the atmosphere which causes Global Warming and they keep doing this with abandon. These forests should be forced to live GREEN, not charcoal grey or black.
AL GORE, save us from these Smoking Forests...
Ban all Forest Smoking now before it's too late...
:-)
He's right
We should all be ashamed.
Why can't
Individuals comment on the article and refrain from making post specifically in response to post from other individuals... the smoke is pretty bad and certainly isn't doing anything good for anyone's respiratory system. While it's certainly not as bad as nicotine but is that really the point of the story?
Um Joanie
You should have spent more time in reading class and less time chasing Chachi(sp?) for biology tutoring. See below for recap on my comment:
"While all carcinogens can cause cancer, cigs include some extras."
Um, Ira
Um, have you ever heard of biology? Any kind of smoke is bad for an individuals lungs. Whether it is from cigs or wild forest fires. Go ahead and venture outside and take a long deep breath. Do not exhale though, exhalling emits that horrific carbon.
Diagram
The person that wrote that about the diagram contradicting the whole article is sooo right on point. Forget the nonsense and just look at the basics of what they are saying. I really almost laughed so hard that I almost fell out of my chair. I am glad somebody else was thinking the same way i was. Have a good one!
Either way
Regardless of our opinions on...well, everything, the smoke is really bad right now. Really bad. It went from non existant this mornign to not being able to see 3 blocks away here on the border.
where there's smoke there's a liar
Don't worry they say. Well that's o.k. if you don't have COPD or if you don't have to go outside. Leave it to public health to understate the problem, because panic and a clogged emergency room is not conducive to good public health.
Someone observed that the diagram and the article were incongruent. I'm sitting here coughing now, and I haven't had to be outside any longer than to walk my dog and to go back and forth to my car and work etc.
I know how I have felt these last several days and it hasn't been good. By the way, the person who said that the fire fighters battling these blazes live a long time is not immediately verifiable and don't they wear protective respirators and the like?
Wow
When people use peat as a fuel source, I don't think they stood down wind and inhaled all the smoke.
I realize second hand smoke is bad, but at least I can get away from it. When the forest fire smoke is so bad it reduces visibility, it is hard to get away from.
My previous comment was laced with sarcasm, but must have gotten filtered out or maybe the wind shifted and blew my sarcasm to the west.
Cant believe the lack of
Cant believe the lack of logic sometimes. The difference is the length of exposure. This smoke will pass in a few days. The 2nd hand cig smoke will not.
Forest fire smoke
Forest fire smoke is as natural as smoke gets. It doesn't mean it can't be irritating, but for the most part, it is harmless. There are a lot of forest firefighters that have lived very long lives. If you're not used to it though, it can be scary. Don't forget: people have used peat as a fuel for centuries. Hasn't been proven to be harmful to the Irish, Scots, English or anyone else that has used it for fuel that I know of.
cjacks reading comprehension
You are supposed to read the subject matter before you comment. Not as bad...
Ira's "logic"
Only cig smoke is bad. Go ahead and breath in all the forest fire smoke you want, you'll be fine. It's "natural" smoke.
all the news is about smoke from NC
what about the additional smoke from the VA side of the Dismal Swamp? The smoke is a lot worse now with the fire at Dismal Swamp than it was with just the Hyde County fires.
Chemicals
Logic Disconnect
Submitted by captnickca73 on Tue, 06/17/2008 at 6:07 am.
Second-hand cigarette smoke creates a great tizzy; but when the air is so thick you can cut it with a knife, we are told not to worry. No political capital here.
Um, have you ever heard of chemistry? You see, cigs contain someting liek 90 chemicasl that cause cancer. While all carcinogens can cause cancer, cigs include some extras. I guess the fact that smoking cigs is voluntary while wildfires are WILD. You need to work on your understanding of logic.
Marks- You do realize that they are mostly wildlife refuges and a swamp land right? If so, you would make a lot of money in Louisiana and Florida. There is plenty of swampland available there. In fact, I can get you a good deal on some. Let's do lunch.
Liberals are to blame
I blame everything on Liberals, since Liberals blame everything on Conservatives. It's a never-ending cycle. LOL!
NO PROBLEM MAN...NO WORRIES
If you ever wonder what it would be like on the west coast say San FRANCISCO GO out side..was hoping last nights rain would do more than cause more smoke....did not pray enough ah
Develop the area
I still say put more houses, businesses, etc., in those areas burning and there will less trees to burn...simple solution.
The diagram
Doesn't the diagram contradict the entire article?
Why is it.....
I cannot smell this smoke *in* my house yet it permeates the entire building where I work?
WAAH, Waah,WAAH
Quit all the whinning already.
Logic Disconnect
Second-hand cigarette smoke creates a great tizzy; but when the air is so thick you can cut it with a knife, we are told not to worry. No political capital here.