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How Wildfire Smoke Affects Your Health—and How You Can Protect Yourself

Exposure to smoke is dangerous regardless of your health status—so follow these steps to limit the risk.

As a series of massive fires continues to blaze through the Los Angeles area, blanketing neighborhoods with smoke and forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes, air quality remains unhealthy throughout many parts of the county. “Wildfire smoke is risky for everybody, especially when the particulate matter that is being released is in large quantities for long periods, like what is happening in California right now,” says Zachary Rubin, a Chicago-area pediatrician and spokesperson for the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Symptoms can range from the mild, such as burning or itchy eyes, runny nose, scratchy throat, and headache, to severe respiratory issues, including difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, fatigue, and chest pain.

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