Living Well Imagine enjoying a summer picnic under a blue sky and atop a bed of... flammable grass...
It's not the soft, verdant, green kind either... more like brown, crunchy, and dry.
This tall, sunbaked grass is the perfect kindling for a fire – like the massive wildfires that swept Maui exactly a year ago.
The fires swept 17,000 acres and reduced thousands of buildings – including the entire town of Lahaina – to rubble, leaving more than 10,000 homeless. This was the deadliest fire in the U.S. since 1918, claiming 102 lives.
Then earlier this year, the University of Hawaii released a shocking study...
The Maui Wildfire Exposure Study looked at test and survey results from 679 people. Researchers found that the wildfires left most residents a grim souvenir: health problems...
- Almost 75% had high blood pressure, putting them at risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Roughly 60% had breathing problems.
- More than 50% had depression and about 30% had moderate to severe anxiety.
- About 4% said they had contemplated suicide.
And then the urine samples... They showed high levels of a chemical, one you'd read about in an Agatha Christie murder mystery or see every now and then on the news.
It was arsenic. This stuff causes lung problems – from having trouble holding enough air to scarring to cancer.
While the fires burned and ended after a week, they left behind debris and dust. That toxic ash was chock-full of arsenic, lead, cobalt, and other heavy metals. And in the notoriously windy Maui, all of those carcinogenic clumps got kicked up into the air and breathed in by residents.
But it's not just the residents of Maui... Rising levels of air pollution are a health threat to all of us. Chances are, you've been breathing a terrible cocktail of contaminants into your lungs. Here's the lineup of the likely offenders...
Particulate matter ("PM"): It has been called "the greatest external threat to human life expectancy on the planet." Ambient PM pollution contains liquid droplets that mix with dust, smoke, soot, dirt, or minerals that are all suspended in the air. These can come from fires or the burning of fossil fuels.
"Fine" particulate matter measures at 2.5 microns or less in diameter, and these are also known as PM2.5 particles. The other main type, "coarse" particulate matter, can be up to 10 microns in diameter ("PM10").
These are tiny particles... A micron is one-millionth of a meter. And just to give you an idea of how small these inhalable particles are, here's a comparison between different particles and their sizes in microns...
The smaller the particle, the more of a Goliath-sized effect it has on our health... PM10 particles can end up in your nose, throat, and lungs. But PM2.5 particles can travel deeper into your lungs and even into your bloodstream, where they pile up and wreak havoc on your body (more on that in a bit).
Ozone: Remember all the buzz about the hole in the ozone layer discovered back in the mid-1980s? Well, that stratospheric ozone is the good stuff that protects us from the sun's ultraviolet radiation. But the layer of gas around us, or "ground-level ozone," doesn't play nice. Breathing in ground-level ozone causes the muscles in your airways to tighten and narrow, triggering asthma attacks.
This gas is formed from a chemical reaction between sunlight, heat, nitrogen oxides (including nitrogen dioxide), and volatile organic compounds ("VOCs"). Most VOCs are man-made chemicals that dissolve poorly in water but evaporate easily. Thus, they're typically released as gases. And ozone levels typically spike when it's hot and sunny out.
Carbon monoxide: You probably know this odorless gas as a possible hazard in your home. That's why you (hopefully) have carbon monoxide detectors installed alongside smoke detectors. But while it can kill you quickly in an enclosed space, it's not good for you outdoors, either.
Exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide causes breathing problems because carbon monoxide binds 250 times more strongly to red blood cells than oxygen does. Folks with certain types of heart conditions are especially vulnerable to high outdoor levels of carbon monoxide.
Nitrogen oxides: This gas also causes respiratory problems and worsens existing respiratory diseases, too. It comes from burning fossil fuels, so examples of sources include emissions from power plants and vehicles. Nitrogen oxides easily react with other chemicals to create ozone, particulate matter, and acid rain.
Sulfur dioxide: This gas can come from nature in the form of volcanoes, but burning fossil fuels generates the majority of the amount outside. Like nitrogen oxide, this gas is also a precursor to PM pollution and acid rain.
Breathing in air contaminated with any of these nasties for a long time can lead to or worsen existing lung diseases such as...
- Emphysema
- Chronic bronchitis
- Asthma
- Lung cancer
What's more, the same inflammation plaguing your lungs has a similar effect on our arteries, which can turn into heart disease. Even just a couple days of exposure puts you at higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
So, what can you do to avoid these health woes?
Well, it starts with the Air Quality Index ("AQI") forecast. It estimates the expected air-pollution levels, plus the severity of health effects after exposure, on a scale from 0 to 500. A higher number means poorer air quality and greater health concerns. Air-sensor readings for PM, ground-level ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and carbon monoxide are all rolled into a simple, color-coded list...
Check the AQI when you check the weather – especially if you plan on spending a lot of time outside and/or exerting yourself. (The greater your exertion, the more air you'll suck in.) Your local news station's weather forecast and most weather apps or websites should include the AQI.
Limit strenuous exercise on bad days – and that includes Fido's bathroom trips. Walk instead of run so that you (and your pooch) don't need to breathe in as deeply. And for folks with asthma, don't forget that rescue inhaler. You might want to even use it proactively and wait 15 minutes before stepping out the door.
Days with terrible air quality might call for that face mask again. We recommend a well-fitting, high-quality N95 or KN95 mask which blocks at least 95% of PM2.5. Masks or respirators that filter out 99% (like P99 masks) to 99.97% (like P100 masks) of airborne particles are even better, but they may be harder to find and harder to breathe through.
Even on moderate AQI days, it still pays to be safe. That means for any outdoor activities, try to stay away from high-traffic areas, especially during rush hour when all those vehicles are belching out fumes.
Speaking of cars, make sure to change the cabin air filter in your car about every 15,000 miles (check your owner's manual for specifics). Regularly vacuuming or wiping down the inside of your car also keeps dust levels at bay. And when you're stuck in traffic, stick to closed windows and use the recirculation mode to keep other cars' emissions outside. That little button will also come in handy when you've just gotten into a hot car. Recirculating the air will help cool down the hot, stuffy interior faster, making you feel less like an oven-baked pizza.
P.S. Think you're safe hunkering down indoors on a bad AQI day? Well, think again...
If you want to read about the other respiratory dangers to your lungs right inside home sweet home – and get my tips on how to combat them – read my full Retirement Millionaire issue on air pollution right here or sign up for a trial subscription here.
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- Something different: Two friends and the epic breakup that left millions without their favorite hot sauce.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
August 8, 2024