Press Release
Date: August 01, 2014
Media Contact: Ramona
Quinn/Jim Carey Phone: (541)-882-8846
High Temperatures and Smoky
Air Could Cause Health Problems
Klamath Falls, Or. – Public
Health officials urge Klamath County residents to take precautions to avoid
health problems during hot, smoky conditions.
The combination of high
temperatures and wildfire smoke in Klamath County may increase the risk of illness,
especially for people with asthma, respiratory or heart conditions, older
adults, and young children. Public health officials urge all residents,
especially children, older adults and people with lung or heart disease to take
the following precautions to avoid health problems:
·
Reduce the amount
of time spent outdoors. This can usually provide some protection, especially in
a tightly closed, air-conditioned house in which the air conditioner can be set
to re-circulate air instead of bringing in outdoor air.
·
Reduce the amount
of time engaged in vigorous outdoor physical activity. This can be an important
and effective strategy to lower the amount of inhaled air pollutants and
minimize health risks during a smoke event.
·
Reduce other
sources of indoor air pollution such as burning cigarettes, gas, propane, wood
burning stoves and furnaces, and activities such as cooking, burning candles
and vacuuming.
·
Drink plenty of
water or other non-alcohol or decaffeinated fluids to keep cool.
·
Individuals with
lung disease or respiratory illnesses such as asthma should follow their health
care provider’s advice about prevention and treatment of symptoms.
Smoke from wildfires is a
mixture of gases and fine particles from burning trees and other plant
materials. Smoke can hurt your eyes, irritate your respiratory system, and
worsen chronic heart and lung diseases.
Smoke levels can rise and fall depending on weather factors
including wind direction. Klamath County Public Health will continue to release
information on our blog www.klamathairquality.blogspot.com
and Facebook page www.facebook.com/klamathbasinairquality
as smoke conditions change. Updates will be made daily.
For more information about air
quality; how to protect your health during the forest fire season and how to
protect your health when temperatures soar, visit the following website:
To learn how to use visibility
to measure risk of health effects, visit the following website:
For other questions or concerns
contact Klamath County Public Health’s Environmental Health department at
541-883-1122.
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