Important information about air quality and your health

With a large portion of the country impacted by wildfire smoke this summer, many Veterans are concerned about becoming ill due to poor air quality.

The good news is if you are otherwise healthy, there are ways for you to breathe easy.

“It takes quite a long time for regular smoke to build up in our system enough to cause adverse events,” explained Dr. Claibe Yarbrough, VA’s national program director for Pulmonary and Critical Care. “Wildfire smoke from a distance is comparable to cigarette smoke. It’s toxic but not so toxic that you’re going to get effects from it very quickly.”

Yarbrough says most wildfire smoke should clear out of a healthy person’s lungs within 24 hours unless you are close enough to have large particulates in the air. Children and people with pre-existing respiratory conditions may experience increased effects from breathing smoky air.

This includes Veterans who have any lung illness from exposure to burn pits during their military service.

Get checked out if you experience prolonged symptoms

“If you are experiencing prolonged symptoms like excessive coughing or difficulty breathing after exposure to smoky air, that might indicate an underlying condition you ought to get checked out,” Yarbrough adds.

Yarbrough encourages everyone to monitor the air quality in their area by checking sites like AirNow.gov and take basic precautions to minimize exposure during poor air quality alerts. The best thing you can do during these events is to just stay inside and run the air conditioning, he notes.

“You’ve got filters in your air conditioning that will block out most of the particulates. When you’re driving in your car, make sure you set your air conditioner to recirculate so it’s not pulling in contaminated air from outside the vehicle. And if you have to go outside for prolonged periods, wear an N95 mask.”

For those with pre-existing respiratory conditions, make sure you have an adequate supply of medications nearby and contact your local clinic or health care center if you have any questions or concerns.

If you have a health condition you believe is connected to burn pit exposure during military service, you may be eligible for benefits under the PACT Act. Visit https://www.va.gov/pact for more information.