Wildfire Smoke Chokes Los Angeles, Residents Struggle to Breathe
Air Quality Alert Issued as Fires Continue to Rage
LOS ANGELES: Business was brisk at Teddy’s Cocina in Pasadena as wildfire evacuees ate lunch and passersby ducked indoors to escape from the brown, smoky air blanketing the city.
"It’s not breathable," said Dulce Perez, a cook at the restaurant, as an eye-watering haze hung overhead on Thursday about two miles away from one of the multiple fires burning around Los Angeles. "We just try to stay indoors."
Citywide Crisis
This week, as the wildfires raged and smoke billowed across Los Angeles, officials issued air quality alerts, schools canceled classes, and scientists warned about the dangerous – even fatal – consequences of wildfire smoke. All around the United States’ second-largest city, residents worried about air that has, at times, turned lung-burning from the ash, soot, and smoke emanating from fires that have destroyed 10,000 structures.
Air Purifiers and Masks in Short Supply
Air purifiers were sold out at some big-box stores, according to interviews with employees at four businesses. Some residents were taping windows to keep the smoke out of their homes. And Los Angeles officials urged people to stay indoors in areas where smoke was visible. While conditions improved on Friday, an air quality alert remained in effect until the evening and dangerous particulate matter remained around four times World Health Organization guidelines.
Homeless Population at Risk
At the Pasadena Convention Center, which has been converted to a temporary shelter, aid workers from Sean Penn’s global humanitarian organization, CORE, were handing out N95 masks on Friday. Emergency response programs manager Sunny Lee said the homeless were particularly vulnerable to bad air. "There was no place for them to go inside, and so they were suffering even more outside with the poor air quality, without any kind of masks," said Lee. "So, we pushed out N95 to our partners that reached those communities. We’re distributing as many as we can."
The Hazards of Wildfire Smoke
Fanned by fierce winds and fueled by vegetation bone-dry after a long period of little or no rain, the Los Angeles fires broke out on Tuesday and have relentlessly burned more than 34,000 acres, or some 53 square miles. Neighborhoods have turned to ash in some parts of Los Angeles. Wildfire smoke typically carries with it noxious gases and particulate matter that make it more toxic than normal air pollution. Not only do wildfires burn plants, brush, and trees, but also buildings, houses, and cars that contain plastics, fuels, metals, and a host of chemicals.
Health Risks
Studies have linked wildfire smoke with higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrests as well as weakened immune defenses. Environmental health scientists and doctors warned that particulate matter posed a hazard to people with preexisting lung and heart conditions as well as the elderly and children. Carlos Gould, an environmental health scientist at the University of California San Diego, said the concentration of fine particulate matter in the Los Angeles area reached alarming levels between 40 and 100 micrograms per cubic meter earlier in the week before declining to around 20 on Friday. The WHO recommended maximum is 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
Conclusion
As the city struggles to breathe, residents are left wondering when the fires will be brought under control and the air will clear. The long-term health impacts of wildfire smoke are still unknown, but experts warn that the risks will not end when the fires are put out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the current air quality like in Los Angeles?
A: The air quality remains hazardous, with particulate matter levels around four times World Health Organization guidelines.
Q: How many structures have been destroyed by the fires?
A: Over 10,000 structures have been destroyed.
Q: What are the health risks associated with wildfire smoke?
A: Studies have linked wildfire smoke with higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrests as well as weakened immune defenses.
Q: Who is most at risk from the poor air quality?
A: People with preexisting lung and heart conditions, the elderly, and children are most at risk.