CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — You may have noticed a haze over the Chattanooga area Thursday due to the Code Orange Alert caused by nearby wildfires.
Poor air quality can be harmful for certain groups, like those with lung disease, asthma, and COPD.
With pollen also in the mix this spring, a Chattanooga allergist says it’s important to take precautions.
“We have a basically a perfect storm of problems for people with allergies and asthma,” Dr. Todd Levine says.
Dr. Todd Levine with the Chattanooga Allergy Clinic says high pollen and wildfire smoke are combining to irritate the lungs right as we head into peak allergy season.
“Typically in late March and early April, we’ll see peaks and the tree pollen will go through May. We’ll start to see grass pollen come out in the next few weeks,” Dr. Levine says.
The smoke is coming from fires burning across the region, including a wildfire near the Tennessee–North Carolina border.
Earlier Thursday, that haze pushed air quality into unhealthy levels for some people.
On this map, you can see Chattanooga in that yellow and orange zone
Image via{ }https://gispub.epa.gov/airnow
Meagan Carpenter with the Tennessee Department of Forestry says…
“Whenever you have a wildfire, there’s definitely smoke that is produced. And in contrast to prescribed burns, it’s not something that you can plan for, and so it can happen on days where there’s not good wind to blow it away, and it can happen where it can accumulate there and not be great for folks.”
Levine says the most common symptoms include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.
State officials say people most at risk should take it easy outdoors, choosing less strenuous activity, spending less time outside, and going out when air quality improves.
That’s something Levine says he tells his patients…
“When we have Code Orange like we have today, that’s indication that people should stay inside as much as they possibly can.”
If you do have to be outside, Levine recommends a high-quality mask and making sure you’re using prescribed medications correctly.
“There are over the counter inhalers that we do not recommend people use, things like Primatene Mist can be dangerous if used too much, and can actually lead to harmful health consequences, including death,” Levine says.
While air quality is expected to be more moderate Friday, it’s not necessarily the last time this season that our area will be under alert.
Officials say air quality can change quickly, so it’s important to keep checking conditions throughout the day.