How Do the California Wildfires Affect Your Health?
California Wildfires, Image by Getty Images via Daylife
When we made the move to Los Angeles for an acting career, we did not anticipate dealing with the California wildfires. But over the last 6 years since we’ve been here, we’ve had to learn how to deal with them.
The Good News — Wildfires Getting Under Control
It is good news that the California wildfires in the Angeles National Forest are now 42% contained (under control). The humidity is up, the wind has died down, and the temperatures are a little cooler and heading down.
The slight weather changes should allow the firefighters to continue to make gains in the battle with the wildfires that have been going on for over a week now in the Los Angeles area.
Fortunately, in our area, the air is a little better today than it was yesterday. With the cooler temperatures predicted for the weekend, that trend is likely to continue.
The Bad News
The bad news about the California Wildfires is that over 140,000 acres of the Angeles National Forest have burned, two firefighters have died, people have been injured, people have lost their homes, and the fire is still burning. And even worse, it is believed that the fire is the result of arson. And now there is some talk about there having been some toxic fumes in the air in one of the areas where the firefighters were stationed.
And now there is a new fire South of Los Angeles near Lake Elsinore.
The air quality continues to be extremely poor, and it is not likely to improve much for quite a while.
The threat of additional fires also still remains high, so residents in the L.A. area need to continue to be prepared for evacuation and need to think about the quality of the air they are breathing. (See Are You Prepared for the California Wildfires? for more information.)
Breathing In Smoke and Particles in the Air
Yesterday, when I ventured out to take kids to school, my eyes, nose, and throat were burning, and the windshield was covered in flakes of ash. The whole area was covered in a fog of smoke.
As a parent of a child actor, I am continuing to drive all over the area to auditions and rehearsals and to take care of other tasks related to my child actor’s acting career even with all the smoke and fire nearby. This is yet another negative of making the move to the L.A. area in pursuit of an acting career for my daughter!
Life still goes on. But the smoke is taking its toll on all of us. We are all suffering with minor symptoms of smoke inhalation, and I am hoping it will get significantly better soon.
I took some time to do some more research on protecting my family from the dangers of breathing in the smoke and ash. I read all about the effects of the California wildfires and how to prevent health problems related to them. I’d like to share what I’ve found with you.
So, “How Are the California Wildfires Affecting Your Health?“ and what can you do about it?
Tags: Angeles National Forest, California, California Wildfires, California Wildfires 2009, Debbie Sikkema, Face Masks, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County California, Respirator Masks, smoke masks, technorati
California Wilfires | Debbie Sikkema | 
September 4, 2009 2:00 pm | 
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