Los Angeles Wildfires Trigger Air Quality Warnings and Health Concerns

Business was bustling at Teddy’s Cocina in Pasadena as wildfire evacuees had lunch and passersby sought shelter indoors to avoid the smoky air enveloping the city.
“It’s not breathable,” said Dulce Perez, a cook at the restaurant, as a thick haze lingered overhead, about two miles (3.2 km) from one of the many fires raging around Los Angeles. “We just try to stay indoors.”
As wildfires spread and smoke filled the skies this week, officials issued air quality warnings, schools canceled classes, and scientists cautioned about the hazardous and potentially fatal effects of wildfire smoke.
Residents around Los Angeles expressed concerns over air that was at times lung-burning, caused by the ash, soot, and smoke from fires that have destroyed 10,000 structures.
Air purifiers were sold out at several large stores, and some residents taped windows to keep the smoke out. Los Angeles officials urged people to stay inside in areas where smoke was visible.
Although conditions improved on Friday, the air quality alert remained in effect until the evening, with dangerous particulate levels four times the World Health Organization’s recommended limits.
At the Pasadena Convention Center, which was converted into a temporary shelter, workers from Sean Penn’s humanitarian organization, CORE, distributed N95 masks.
Emergency response program manager Sunny Lee said the homeless were especially vulnerable to the poor air quality.
“They had nowhere to go indoors, so they suffered even more outside with bad air quality, without any masks,” Lee said. “We pushed out N95 masks to our partners reaching those communities.”
Fueled by fierce winds and dry vegetation, the wildfires in Los Angeles broke out on Tuesday and have burned over 34,000 acres (13,760 hectares) of land.
Wildfire smoke is more toxic than typical air pollution because it carries harmful gases and particulate matter. Besides burning plants and trees, wildfires also destroy buildings, homes, and vehicles containing plastics, fuels, metals, and chemicals.
Studies have linked wildfire smoke with higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrests, as well as weakened immune systems.
Environmental health scientists and doctors warned that particulate matter poses a significant risk to people with pre-existing lung and heart conditions, as well as to the elderly and children.
Carlos Gould, an environmental health scientist at the University of California San Diego, stated that the concentration of fine particulate matter in Los Angeles reached alarming levels of 40 to 100 micrograms per cubic meter earlier this week, before dropping to around 20 on Friday.
The WHO’s recommended maximum is 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
“The levels of wildfire smoke we’ve seen in LA these past few days imply between a 5-15% increase in daily mortality,” Gould noted.
Chemical byproducts from the fires, particularly those from burned man-made materials, can penetrate deeper into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, explained Dr. Afif El-Hasan, a spokesperson for the American Lung Association.
“If you’re working harder to breathe and your body is being challenged that way, it can put a strain on the heart. That’s why we see an increase in heart attacks,” El-Hasan said.
Even those well outside the immediate fire zones complained of the smoke. In Long Beach’s coastal community, customers at the Potholder Cafe declined to sit outdoors as the winds pushed the wildfire smoke out to sea.
Manager Veronica Gutierrez mentioned that she purchased an air purifier for her home, but it had little effect.
“We definitely have the smell of burning,” said Gutierrez.
Experts warned that for some residents across Los Angeles, the health risks would continue long after the fires are extinguished.
Justin Gillenwater, burn director at the Los Angeles General Medical Center, anticipated long-term health impacts from smoke inhalation, especially among people with respiratory issues and allergies.
“This is something we’ll be monitoring not just for weeks, but really for years,” he said.