Wildfires' haze making some area residents sick.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Those with lung ailments, 'pink eye' are suffering
"I've lived in Alabama all my life, and I've never seen smoke carried from another state like this, and I've never seen adult pink eye like this," he said. "It's a unique situation in how uncomfortable people are."
Heavy smoke blown in from wildfires in south Georgia and the Florida Panhandle isn't just smelly.
It's making some Tennessee Valley residents sick.
Huntsville pulmonologist Keith Young said patients already suffering with asthma, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis and other lung ailments have a harder time when the air contains increased levels of carbon monoxide, aldehydes and acetones, "the products of wood combustion."
"These particles irritate already chronically inflamed airways," Young said.
He recommends "good respiratory hygiene" for these patients. That includes staying inside with the windows closed, with air conditioning.
"If you don't have access to that at home, go walk around the mall or go sit in a movie theater," he said.
"Also maintain a good state of hydration. The thinner the mucous, the easier it is to expel from your lungs."
Young doesn't recommend paper or cloth masks because they don't really keep out the harmful smoke particles.
Huntsville ophthalmologist Craig Thorstad said the smoke is causing serious eye irritation is some patients, and a rare, coincidental outbreak of adult conjunctivitis - also called "pink eye" - is complicating matters.
Nearly three weeks ago, Thorstad saw his first recent case of pink eye in an adult. Since then, his clinic has seen about 30 adults with the "typical pediatric illness," and he knows that he's not the only doctor in town treating sufferers.
The problem with the timing of the adult pink eye is that people are rubbing their eyes more because of the smoke, and that is how the disease is often spread.
"I'm not saying the smoke pollution is causing the pink eye, but I am saying there's a combination of some things that have created a bad situation," he said. "People are rubbing their eyes more and leaving the highly contagious pink eye bacteria on everything from doorknobs to hand towels."
Thorstad has the same advice for sufferers of pink eye or smoke irritation: Stay inside and use artificial tears to lubricate eyes.
"I've lived in Alabama all my life, and I've never seen smoke carried from another state like this, and I've never seen adult pink eye like this," he said. "It's a unique situation in how uncomfortable people are."
Kurt Weber with the National Weather Service in Huntsville said it's difficult to know when the smoke will blow away. It all depends on the direction of the wind.
Wednesday morning, Weber said visibility due to the smoke was down to 1.25 miles; a typical hazy summer day allows for visibility of five to six miles, he said.
"This is the worst we've had it since those fires began several weeks ago," Weber said. "The wind is blowing in from the southeast right now."
Weber said visibility improves as the day heats up, which allows the smoke to mix with other air components and deconcentrates the particulate matter, but there is little hope of rain to wash away the smoke.
Weber said the next decent chance of rain is "Sunday-ish," and even then precipitation will likely be isolated afternoon showers. The area remains under the driest conditions "since recorded history," he said.