‘Unhealthy for everybody’: Sacramento area physicians on bad air quality from wildfire smoke
The smoke in the air didn't seem to be bothering some people in Sacramento on Friday as they went about their days jogging, walking their dogs and playing tennis in various parks across the city — despite an air quality index of 165.
But two Sacramento area emergency room physicians suggest everyone be very careful.
Dr. Vanessa Walker of Pulmonary Medicine Associates said there's a reason for concern once the air quality index reaches 100.
"For most people, when it's up over 150, that's definitely up there, but once you get in the two, 300 range, that's unhealthy for everybody," Walker said.
Although the air quality index in Sacramento was 165, the Lake Tahoe area saw numbers as high as 530 on Wednesday morning.
Emergency department physician Dr. Nick Sawyer of UC Davis Health, said there's an uptick of patients in the ER with breathing issues.
"There are a number of people coming into our emergency department with cough and congestion, sore throats, stuffy runny nose and they think they have coronavirus," Sawyer said.
He added that after their COVID-19 test comes back negative, they can often attribute those symptoms to the smoky air outside.
Both doctors emphasize the importance of recognizing the signs and knowing when to call 911.
Walker recommends calling for help "if they're struggling to breathe, if they're breathing rapidly, if it looks like they're using the muscles in their neck to breathe."
"If you hear them audibly wheezing, that's another sign, " said Sawyer. "Another thing would be if they have change in their color."
Sawyer went on to say if their lips are blue and they're sweating a lot, call 911 immediately.
Both also said the public should educate themselves more about this because wildfire smoke is becoming more common.
"Every time there's a wildfire in the area, we see an increase in the number of patients that visit the emergency departments, particularly those who have chronic lung disease," Sawyer said. "Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder — COPD — are the two big ones."
"This is going to be every year," Walker said. "This is not going to go away anytime soon. We all need to kind of become experts on how to deal with this."
Sawyer recommends anyone working outdoors speak with their employers about making it a short day.
Walker recommends avoiding the outdoors as much as possible. For anyone who must be outdoors, Walker said she "would absolutely recommend wearing an N95 mask."