Smoke causing some health problems

Smoke from the Camp Fire is more than just a nuisance, for some it’s causing real health issues.

Alexander is only two years old, but the smoke is causing his allergies to flare up and he’s been struggling to breathe. The toddler came to Monterey with his family over the weekend to evacuate from Los Altos. His grandma, Natalia, says the air quality in the bay became unbearable for the family, causing red eyes and shortness of breath.

“Big cloud, like brown cloud, like above their house. So they were very concerned about this little guy’s health. He already has respiratory problems,” says Natalia. Luckily, the family’s time in Monterey has helped Alexander get back to health.

The air quality in Monterey isn’t quite as bad as it was over the weekend, but it’s still incredibly smoky and hazy. You can even smell the smoke from time to time, which is causing some problems.

“The smoke can cause watery eyes, just kind of a dry cough, some ear itching… things like that,” says Scott Prysi with Doctors on Duty. Prysi also says those with allergies and asthma are
the most at risk from the smoke. However, if you spend normal time outdoors the smoke shouldn’t cause any long term damage to your lungs.

But as the smoke is expected to last for several days, Prysi has some recommendations. “If you are not taking allergy medication every day, maybe go back on that. Some of the over the counter allergy medicines works pretty well for that. Avoiding the smoke if you can. So if you don’t have to be outside, stay inside. The air inside of your house is going to be cleaner than it is outside.”