National Library of Medicine Offers Disaster Information Resources on Wildfires
An extensive list of resources related to wildfires is now available from the Specialized Information Services division at NLM. Learn how to prepare and protect yourself from wildfires, and get information on how the smoke and particulate matter may affect your health.
Highlights from the Enviro-Health Links – Wildfires page:
http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/californiafires.html
- Overview
- Includes links for applying for assistance after a disaster, learning about fire weather,
and basics about wildfires
- Includes links for applying for assistance after a disaster, learning about fire weather,
- Preparing for Wildfire
- Fire safety and preparedness
- Air Quality
- Health risks, special considerations for children, Air Quality Index (AQI) and more
- First Responders
- Resources for emergency personnel and first responders
- Environmental Cleanup and Recovery
- Safety issues for workers, recovery efforts
- Searches from the National Library of Medicine
- Pre-formulated searches in PubMed and TOXLINE
- MedlinePlus Health Topics
- Información en Español
- Information for Spanish speakers
- California Fires
- Information specific to the California fire situation
- Animals in Disasters
- Preparedness for pets; animal health resources including the Merck Veterinary Manual
Air Quality and Health Information — Smoke from Fires
Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Officials
The 53-page document from the California Air Resources Board is an excellent resource with consumer-level information about the characteristics of wildfire smoke, adverse health effects, implications for sensitive populations, and strategies for reducing exposure. It also contains good explanations about particulate matter and estimating levels in communities without continuous monitoring and reporting facilities. For a copy of the document, go to: http://www.arb.ca.gov/smp/progdev/pubeduc/wfgv8.pdf.
Forest Fires and Respiratory Health Fact Sheet
With the numerous fires burning in western and southwest states, air quality is at hazardous levels in many areas. The American Lung Association urges those with respiratory problems such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis and also those with chronic heart disease to monitor their breathing and exposure to airborne matter.
Some basic tips:
- If you live close to the fire area, stay indoors if possible
- Refrain from exercising outdoors, especially if you smell smoke or notice eye or throat irritation
- Take extra precautions with children, since their lungs are still developing
- When driving, keep windows and vents closed. Operate the air conditioning to “recirculate” the air.
- People with respiratory problems and chronic heart disease should be even more vigilant.
Please visit the website here for more information on the impact of smoke from fires for people with respiratory or other health conditions: http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=36064.
AirNow EPA website
Find current and forecast particulate matter AQI (Air Quality Index) information for all states at the AirNow website. The home page shows a map of the daily air quality forecast for the entire United States; users can click on the area of interest for local information: http://www.airnow.gov/.
Brochure: How Smoke from Fires Can Affect Your Health
PDF Brochure: http://www.epa.gov/airnow//smoke/Smoke2003final.pdf
HTML version: http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=smoke.smokecover
California Local Air District Directory
For current information about local smoke conditions, find your local air quality management group here: http://www.arb.ca.gov/capcoa/roster.htm. A clickable map is also available, which is particularly useful since some of the agency names aren’t identifiable by county name. To view the map, go to: http://www.arb.ca.gov/capcoa/dismap.htm.
Smoke Impact
More information on how to protect yourself is available at http://www.airquality.org/smokeimpact/. This site includes many helpful resources for local, state and national information about fires and air quality. Each of the California Air Quality Management websites is listed; the agency for Orange County and the urban areas of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties is the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The agency posts up-to-date information about nearby fires and smoke advisories at http://www.aqmd.gov/.
