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Wildfire Health Effects and Precautions

  • Published
  • 28 January 2025
  • Category
  • General

The January 2025 wildfires in the Los Angeles area have significant physical and mental health implications for residents, including respiratory complaints, potential exposure to toxins during cleanup, and long-term mental health concerns. These conditions underscore the importance of comprehensive occupational and public health responses during and after such disasters.

The intense Los Angeles wildfires generated Air Quality Index (AQI) readings that surpassed 200 in affected areas, indicating “very unhealthy” conditions. In some regions, particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations reached 184.1 µg/m³, approximately 36 times the World Health Organization’s recommended annual guideline.

While much-needed rain in Southern California over the Jan. 25-26 weekend helped improve air quality and slow the spread of remaining fires, new problems emerged with reports of mudflows carrying toxic ash that closed roads and created hazardous conditions.

Health Risks

Wildfires produce smoke, ash, and other toxic matter. While anyone in a wildfire zone is at risk of exposure to toxins during and after a fire, particularly vulnerable populations include those with outdoor occupations, the elderly, children, and people with respiratory ailments such as asthma.

Beyond the physical impact of wildfires, detrimental effects on mental health are also significant. Fire victims and first responders often experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions that can remain unresolved without appropriate mental health interventions.

Most wildfire-related injuries and deaths are caused by smoke inhalation, lack of oxygen, and exposure to toxic fumes from burning materials such as plastic and vinyl. Potentially lethal components include:

  • Particles that can lodge in the lungs, irritate eyes, and affect respiratory and digestive systems
  • Toxic liquids, gases, and vapors that can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin

Chemical irritants found in smoke include ammonia, carbon monoxide, chlorine, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, phosgene, and sulfur dioxide. Carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrogen sulfide are examples of chemicals produced in fires that interfere with the body’s use of oxygen at the cellular level. Heat is also a respiratory hazard. Superheated gases burn the respiratory tract and can be fatal.

Although the ash in Los Angeles is not classified as a hazardous waste, public health officials say it may contain traces of lead, cadmium, nickel, and arsenic; asbestos; perfluorochemicals (from degradation of non-stick cookware, for example); flame retardants; and caustic materials.

Exposure Prevention

During and after wildfires, public health officials advise people with exposure risk to wear an N95 mask with two elastic straps. A tightly fitted mask with an N95 rating (N=not oil resistant) filters out 95 percent of particles that are at least 0.3 microns in diameter. An N95 mask does not provide protection against toxic gases. (For firefighters, refer to National Fire Protection Association Standard 1970 on Protective Ensembles for Structural and Proximity Firefighting, Work Apparel, Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Services, and Personal Alert Safety Systems.)

To help reduce exposure to toxins in the air:

  • As feasible, work indoors or limit outdoor exposure
  • Avoid strenuous activity and outdoor exercise
  • Keep windows and doors closed and use the air recirculation option in vehicles
  • If using an air conditioner, keep the fresh-air intake closed and clean the filter
  • Do not burn candles or light a fire in a fireplace or wood-burning stove
  • Check local air quality reports or visit AirNow.gov to avoid polluted areas

Refer to this California Environmental Protection Agency fact sheet on Protecting Public Health from Home and Building Fire Ash for toxic ash exposure risk reduction recommendations.

Symptoms and Response

In a medical emergency, it’s imperative to follow workplace first-response protocols or call 911. In non-emergency situations, WorkCare occupational health providers recommend moving to a location with clean air and seeking medical advice. Where there is toxic smoke exposure risk, watch for the following signs and symptoms:

  • Loss of consciousness (medical emergency)
  • Nausea/vomiting
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest tightness
  • Coughing with or without mucus
  • Burning sensation in the throat and/or lungs
  • Voice changes/hoarseness
  • Tingling sensations (may be related to oxygen deficiency)
  • Headache, dizziness, lightheadedness
  • Confusion or irritability
  • Burning sensation to the eyes, blurry vision, watery eyes

To help relieve discomfort:

  • Increase fluid intake to the extent personal health allows
  • Use over-the-counter natural tears or eye drops for burning or watery eyes
  • Use an inhaler, as directed, for respiratory distress

Fire victims with mental health challenges are encouraged to seek professional counseling, join support groups, and get a medical evaluation, as needed, for symptoms such as trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, low energy, agitation, or irritability. It’s important to access available resources, which may include employee assistance programs, mental health care covered by insurance, and free or low-cost services provided by local community mental health agencies.

Taking Precautions

The risks and impacts of wildfires are escalating nationwide, with the Los Angeles area wildfires serving as a stark reminder of their destructive power. The U.S. Fire Administration estimates that more than 60,000 communities in U.S. wildland urban interface areas have elevated fire risk, and authorities say that number is climbing.

Corelogic reports in its 2024 analysis of wildfire hazards that embers blown from burning vegetation into urban zones are responsible for an estimated 90 percent of home ignitions caused by wildfire. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tracks the frequency, extent, and severity of wildfires. It reports that wildfires are starting more easily and burning at higher temperatures than they have in the past, in some cases creating super-heated conditions that make them harder to fight, especially in remote areas.

Preparation is key. This may include clearing dead and dry brush and trees located close to buildings, participating in neighborhood and business area watch groups and cleanup programs, identifying escape routes, having a family-friends-co-workers contact plan that doesn’t rely on cell phones, and knowing what you will take in the event of an evacuation.

As the Los Angeles wildfires have so dramatically demonstrated, fire combined with high winds, hot temperatures, low humidity, and tinder-dry conditions can result in a conflagration that quickly overwhelms public safety and firefighting resources. Being prepared and leaving at-risk areas before an evaluation order is given helps save lives and structures.

WorkCare’s telehealth triage team is available 24/7 to provide non-emergency care guidance to employees in the event of work-related exposures to wildfire smoke, ash, and other potentially toxic materials. Our Wellness Solutions team assists firefighters and other first responders with all aspects of their occupational and personal health.