We’ve got the information that breathing in wildfire smoke over a matter of multiple days, or even after few months, can cause some decreased lung function. We have a lot more information, obviously, the health implications for cigarette smoking, but when it comes to wildfire smoke that’s a little bit more difficult. Both smoke from cigarettes or welfares can be bad for your health. It's probably not the best way to look at that. Is that a useful way to understand the long term health impacts of wildfire smoke? Some compare breathing this air to smoking cigarettes. less time that you could spend out there, the better, I would say. But any breath that you take in with this kind of matter in the air, the smoke can be harmful. And what I would say is more than a few minutes is more than enough to cause symptoms. How long do you need to be outside to be affected?Įverybody is a little bit different. So we’ve also had reports of like stinging eyes, runny noses, headaches and fatigue.

Also, remind folks that this can affect more than just their lungs. So individuals who may be sensitive to that kind of smoke may notice that they start coughing, they can start wheezing or even be short of breath.īut that’s still the tip of the iceberg typically. The most common thing that we see, of course, is going to be some respiratory effects. Greg Vanichkachorn: I definitely was out [Wednesday} and noticed that haze and felt those effects. Greg Vanichkachorn about the short- and long-term health impacts of breathing wildfire smoke. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Cooler air blowing across Lake Superior improved air quality Thursday from northeast to southwest.Įxperts say this will probably not be the last time the air will be smoky this summer. In addition, ground-level ozone was also an air quality factor for southern Minnesota. For context, under 50 is considered healthy. Wednesday’s record beat the 232 reading measured in St.

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