(WJAR) — We are taking a closer look at the impacts as we expect the thick layer of haze to linger for a few days.
What experts are concerned about are the fine particles in that smokey haze that can penetrate deep into the lungs.
Back in 2023, when conditions were much like now, they saw an increase in breathing-related hospital visits as far away as Maryland.
Barbara Morse reports on the health impacts of wildfire smoke. (WJAR)
So locally, they’re gearing up
“Elevated levels of what’s called Pm 2.5 or particulate matter in our air.”
Dr. Corey Ventetuolo is the director of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at brown university health.
“For patients with asthma certainly they can be triggered really by hot weather plus the poor air quality so it can come on quickly,” she said. “The young and the old individuals with known heart and lung disease certainly can be impacted by this, patients with asthma, emphysema. Even among healthy individuals we know that wildfire smoke can do things like increase the risk of pneumonia.”
People might also not expect that they can get pneumonia from the haze.
“It’s not well known how this happens but we know that normally our lungs are responsible for filtering all of these things that we breathe in in the air day to day but when this fine particulate matter gets in to the air it can be extremely toxic to the lungs and the lungs aren’t good at filtering that out,” Dr. Venteteulo said.
She added that, as a precaution, they’re gearing up for a possible increase in hospital visits due to complications from the haze and heat.