L.A. infernos pose added health dangers
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The Palisades Fire on Wednesday. Photo: Jon Putman/Anadolu via Getty Images
Beyond the immediate danger posed by wildfires spreading through Los Angeles County is the smoke that poses a worrisome threat to the health of millions in the area.
Why it matters: Wildfire smoke can exacerbate conditions like asthma and COPD and has been associated with higher risk of cardiac arrest and stroke. Particulates can trigger inflammation even in healthy individuals.
- The impacts from wildfire smoke can drive up the need for emergency room visits and hospital admissions.
State of play: AirNow.gov has marked air quality around much of Los Angeles as "unhealthy" and an even wider area as hazardous to those in sensitive groups.
- Combined with the high winds reported in Los Angeles County and respiratory virus season, there's a perfect storm for irritation to the airways of healthy individuals and those with preexisting respiratory conditions.
- "Wildfires don't just burn what's wild, [they] also burn manmade structures," Afif El-Hasan, a pediatric asthma doctor in Orange County, California and a spokesperson for the American Lung Association, told Axios. "Not only does that give off ash and all these particles, but you also have chemicals being given off."
He recommended that individuals stay indoors where there are air filtration systems, preferably a HEPA filter. Those who must travel should keep their vehicle windows closed and air conditioners turned on. When outside, use a KN95 mask, he said.
- He also urged those with medical conditions to be vigilant with their medication regimens and ensure their prescriptions are filled and not expired.
- "If you have shortness of breath, if you have chest pain, if you have difficulty breathing in general, your heart's pounding like crazy, you feel dizzy, come in and see the doctor and don't wait till the last minute," El-Hasan said.
What else: Health clinics around the county have been announcing closures. Kaiser Permanente closed nine outpatient clinics and UCLA Health announced the closure of at least a dozen outpatient clinics including its Alhambra Cancer Care on Wednesday.
- "UCLA Health asks that visits to our medical center emergency departments be reserved for urgent and life-threatening medical conditions," it wrote in a statement on its website.
- Elective surgeries at a West Los Angeles VA Medical Center site are being rescheduled.
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital reported they have been unaffected and are proceeding with inpatient surgeries and procedures as scheduled. Some outpatient offices in the evacuation areas are closed, however.
What else: Water quality has also become an issue in some portions of the county. In some zip codes, residents were asked to boil water because the system had been so depleted and had been affected by ash.
