How to Protect Yourself From Wildfire Smoke Health Risks

More than 100 million Americans are under air quality alerts as smoke from nearly 3,500 fires in Canada and northern Minnesota sweeps across the upper Midwest and along the East Coast. Doctors say the fine particles in wildfire smoke pose real health risks — and everyone, not just those with underlying conditions, should take precautions.

Why Wildfire Smoke Is Especially Harmful

Unlike pollen or allergens, wildfire smoke consists of tiny particulate matter that penetrates deep into the respiratory tract. “It’s not an allergen; it’s an irritant,” said Dr. Shilpa Patel, medical director of Children’s National IMPACT DC Asthma Clinic in Washington. “An irritant can affect anyone’s lungs and cause you to start coughing and feeling that throat itchiness.”

Even people who feel fine outdoors may not feel the effects until later, because the smallest particles travel deeply into the airways before triggering a response.

How to Monitor Air Quality

The EPA’s AirNow.gov provides real-time air quality data using the Air Quality Index — the same color-coded system meteorologists use — incorporating particulate matter, ozone, and other pollutants. Dr. Peter DeCarlo, an environmental engineering professor at Johns Hopkins University, recommends treating it like a weather forecast.

“I would plug in AirNow.gov into your phone or computer and check it like how people get weather forecasts,” he said. “This is a site run by federal agencies with the most up-to-date information, both from measurements and forecasts on air quality.”

Who Is Most Vulnerable

The wildfire smoke health risks protection tips apply to everyone, but certain groups face greater danger. Young children, elderly adults, pregnant women, and people with asthma, COPD, heart disease, or allergies are at highest risk. Roughly 25 million Americans have asthma and 16 million have COPD.

Children are especially vulnerable because their airways are smaller — even minor inflammation significantly reduces their breathing capacity — and their lungs continue developing into their 20s. Older adults have weaker respiratory muscles, making it harder to clear mucus and particles from the lungs.

“Probably, though, with all these particulates at these levels, even if you’re healthy, it has potential to have irritation in your lungs and cause problems for everyone,” said Dr. David Rosenberg, a pulmonologist at UH Ahuja Medical Center in Ohio.

What to Do If You Must Go Outside

The clearest medical advice is to stay indoors when air quality is poor. If you must go outside, use an N95 respirator — not a standard surgical mask, which does not filter the fine particles from smoke. Even with an N95, avoid strenuous activity.

“Reducing strenuous physical activity which requires deep breathing — if you have to walk, walk, but I wouldn’t go for a run or a jog,” said Patel.

People with asthma should use their rescue inhaler approximately 15 minutes before going outside. “Starting it early and not waiting for symptoms to get worse — so that probably means the first sign of cough or irritation — just going ahead and using it,” Patel said. If symptoms do not improve, contact a healthcare provider.

Keep pets’ outdoor time to brief bathroom breaks. Birds are particularly sensitive and should not go outside at all when smoke is present. The American Veterinary Medical Association advises watching for coughing, difficulty breathing, watering eyes, or fatigue in pets.

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Close windows and doors and run air conditioning. HEPA air purifiers are especially effective at removing fine particles from indoor air. Avoid vacuuming, which can stir up settled particles and requires heavier breathing.

“Indoors are generally about half or less the concentration of air pollutants from outside when it comes to particles,” DeCarlo said. “That all goes away as soon as you open your windows and doors and just let free-flowing air come in.”

Antihistamines can provide some relief by reducing mucus production, even though smoke irritation differs mechanically from an allergic reaction. They will not address the underlying irritation but can help with congestion, according to Patel.

A Long-Term Concern

DeCarlo noted that smoke events of this scale have historically been more associated with western states, but that may change. “Looking forward with climate change, while this is kind of a unique experience that we’re seeing right now, it may become a lot less unique and a little bit more common in the future.”