PHOENIX (AZFamily) — While the wildfires continue to ravage parts of the Los Angeles area, smoke has blanketed many regions of the city. But what are the health risks of heavy smoke left over by the wildfires?
Dr. Nina Shah, chief medical officer at HonorHealth and a pulmonologist, joined Good Morning Arizona to explain the lingering effects of wildfire smoke and how it affects your body.
Dr. Shah says wildfire smoke is toxic, especially for those who are elderly, pregnant or have chronic health conditions.
“So unfortunately, wildfire smoke, when you breathe it in, can lodge deep into the recesses of the lung, can come into contact with the blood, go through the body. We see things like instant increased rates of heart attacks and strokes when people are exposed to a lot of wildfire smoke,” she explained. “The chemicals cause a lot of inflammation in the body again as they come in contact with the various organs. So you can have things like asthma exacerbations, symptoms like wheezing, headaches, even things that you wouldn’t necessarily think about as the toxins go through your body.”
The doctor says the effects could be long-term, but it depends on the exposure that your body experiences.
“It does depend on the amount of exposure that your body has to those toxic smoke chemicals. But, you know, there are short-term and long-term effects, and people are still studying the long-term effects. But we know that a lot of exposure can lead to organ damage and even premature death,” she explained.
She recommends that if people have time to prepare for a wildfire, they should have 7-10 days of medications prepared in case of evacuation. Also, she says residents should stay indoors if possible.
“Run your air conditioner, keep air purifiers on, and then having KN95 masks or an N95 mask available, not just for you, but for children and loved ones who may have chronic conditions is important as well. Have those things just ready to go sort of with you in any kind of an evacuation plan,” she said.
Dr. Shah also recommends continuously checking the air quality index to tell how healthy the air is around you.
“Levels of 100 are considered pretty unhealthy for people that are sensitive. So again, those with chronic conditions, above 200 is considered toxic for a lot of people,” she said.
Residents can check the air quality in their area by using airnow.gov.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2025 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
