Chelan fires bring health hazard to ML

Smoke gets in your eyes, nose and lungs, as city is covered by dense layer

The Chelan wildfires, added to the high temperatures of the summer, can spell trouble for citizens in the area, especially as the wind blows in clouds of smoke.

Health authorities and fire prevention agents in Grant County and other parts of the state recommend that to avoid medical emergencies people stay indoors as much as possible, and refrain from heavy physical activity outdoors.

Karen Wood, unit manager for outdoor burning and educational outreach for the state's department of ecology, said when smoke levels are high people with heart disease and asthma, as well as children are the most at risk.

Children tend to suffer from increased exposure to polluted air, given the fact that they spend more time outside, they engage in more physical activity and they inhale more air per pound of body weight than adults.

Elderly people are also vulnerable, due to their higher likelihood to have pre-existing lung and heart conditions. Other groups with higher risk include pregnant women and smokers.

Solutions to this problem include the use of air conditioners, taking special care in keeping the indoor air as clean as possible. Windows should remain closed. If a person is outside, Wood said, dust masks are not going to be of much help.

"They are for large particles," she said, while Tom Taylor, Moses Lake Fire Department assistant chief, said that those masks are best suited to keep out dust, rather than smoke or the smell of it.

Effects from smoke may range from eye and respiratory tract irritation to more serious disorders including reduced lung function and bronchitis.

The National Weather Service has predicted the smoke to hang in the air intermittently until Friday morning. The smoke arrived by night, as temperatures dropped and a slight breeze moved the clouds southward.

A health advisory for the Moses Lake area from the Grant County Health District. described Wednesday's clouds of smoke as a level 2 hazard, lowering to a level 1 as the temperatures rose.

Level 2 states that individuals with chronic respiratory and cardiac conditions should be advised to evacuate to a smoke-free site.

All other people should try to avoid excessive exertion and exposure to tobacco smoke. It is recommended that they remain indoors, with doors and windows closed.

If matters should worsen to a level 3, similar measures are recommended, with the warning that people who are uncomfortable should be advised to move out of the area affected by the smoke to a cleaner site.