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Does anyone else have unhealthy smoke from wildfires?

With heavy wildfire smoke, I can't even see the foothills. Live in Washington State. Today I was stuck indoors with unhealthy smoke levels.

At home, I completed a jigsaw puzzle and lifted weights. I cannot hike nor run outdoors.

At age forty, I was diagnosed with adult-onset asthma. "Garcon, I didn't order this!" I joked to the doctor. Need my lungs for life. Being born prematurely increased my chance of developing asthma by 35%.

It irritates me when newscasters (and NOAA) call smoke "haze." Don't whitewash it! It's unhealthy smoke and burned particulates in the air.

If you are dealing with the smoke, you have my sympathy.

Photo: Winthrop, WA where wildfire smoke is extremely hazardous. The worst air quality in the world. Two lightning-started wildfires are near Winthrop. Only eleven percent contained.

LiterateHiker 9 Aug 1
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12 comments

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1

Asthma definitely would be frustrating in this environment. Bummer. I was a volunteer fireman in Florida in 1998 when they had bad fires. I remember driving down a dirt road with the fire burning on both sides of the truck. We had a couple more close calls but weren’t too badly affected by the smoke. For some reason people weren’t using masks back then.

1

Interesting, even though there fires in Washington and Oregon, the smoke has not affected, in a direct way, our area. We have had periods of smoke in the past. However, we have had lots of hazy days and the nighttime temps have dipped into the 50's which is not normal (but welcome). Daytime temps are normal in the 70's. I suspect the fires have had an indirect influence.

1

Not yet, but all it will take is a change in the wind.

2

The smoke has been affecting us here in Nebraska. I have not noticed any ill effects, just lots of haze. But then, I also don't go out terribly much, just toooo dang hot. I completed a jigsaw puzzle this summer while I was unemployed. I had a surface to put it on that my cats would not disturb it (the work computer was gone). I had the puzzle for several years, and just couldn't find a place to work on it that the cats couldn't access. When I started to WFH I got a new desk. Now that I'm working again, the desk has a computer set up on it again, no more puzzles.

1

Our seasons here in Salt Lake City are now Fall, Winter, Spring and Smoke! The smoke from west coast fires seems to all end up here. It’s been raining here the past few days so it’s a little better but last week the visibility in the valley was only a few miles.

1

I have a friend in California, near Modesto, dealing with smoke as well. Not good for her 87 year old mom who has COPD.

For those who can afford it and live in areas that are affected (and will be going forward) consider purchasing a Tesla. Their air filtration system is 10X better than any other car.

1

So to hear it is so bad back east. Thankfully the air quality is good in Olympia, although we have not have any rain in 48 days.

2

I experienced it when I lived in the northwest; here in the Midwest, it's lots of local grass fires. But they tend to keep the populace happy... I hope the fires are contained soon! It's ironic that such a beautiful part of the country is so flammable.

0

There is none that my corner of the mid west. I know it's fun for people who have to deal with it.

@freedom41

No, it's not fun. Extremely dangerous for firefighters.

With unhealthy smoke, I cannot hike nor run. Must stay indoors. Feel like a trapped animal.

1

Fortunately, I never had to go through having to breathe the smoke of wild fires. However, it's something that happens regularly in my native Portugal and all around Europe during the Summer. In Portugal, most of the wild fires are arson, which is disgraceful. At the moment, there are a lot of wild fires around Southern Europe.

1

Bushfires are a hazard of life in outback Western Australia. The only real way that we can control catastrophic wildfires is by having controlled burns every summer, and even those can be problematic for people like yourself.

1

We got haze and unhealthful air quality from it all the way in PA last week.

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