California Wildfires & Smoke Cause Health Concerns

By Dr Rajiv Sahay, FIAS, CIAQP, Alan Wozniak, CIAQP, CIEC, EDLab

Los Angeles, CA – With the wind picking up and blowing smoke into populous coastal areas, the efforts to battle the deadly wildfires that have threatened thousands of homes in the Los Angeles suburbs.

One can live without food and water for several days, but hardly a few minutes without air. This reflects the importance of air for life. The air which we breathe must be pure and free from contaminants and other air-borne particulates. However many times the quality of the air is highly influenced by natural and human caused forces. Out of these known factors responsible for polluting the air, wildfire is listed as an important source of air pollution with smoke and chard materials in dryer months.

In the United States, wildfire is listed as one of the most important sources of air pollution. A significant portion of land in this country is covered by forest consisting of diversified flora and fauna. Due to wild fires, these natural resources turn into hazardous materials and pollute the ambient air. This results into a great loss of life and wealth each year. Over 10,000 people have been evacuated due to a wild fire in California.

Over 3,600 firefighters are battling the fire around Angeles National Forest. The ongoing fire in California has propelled several million tons of fire chard debris into the ambient air. The momentous load of these air-borne materials in a plume of smoke disperses quickly, not only in the surrounding area but far from its source of origin. As a result of which, asthma and other air-borne ailments are on rise. It is hard to intake the fresh and pure air around the area under fire. It is strongly recommend that an appropriate mask should be used as a filtration device to prevent the entry of those harmful particles into the body’s system to minimize the health risk.

Typical symptoms of short-term exposure to smoke from wildfires include: itchy eyes, cough, runny nose and upper airway irritation and are.  Other potential health effects include headache, dizziness and nausea to more serious disorders, including asthma, bronchitis, and reduced lung function. It is recommended for a person to contact their private physician if experiencing problems.   Those who may experience complications include:

·        Asthma and other respiratory diseases individuals with cardiovascular disease

·        Elderly

·        Children

·        Smokers

Odors, discoloration and “ghosting” effects can result when, carbon black and combustion byproducts (carbonized material) are deposited on building and/or home interior surfaces. Proof of these conditions may be required by property insurance companies prior to the buildings being fixed. Fortunately, particulate sampling can be performed by either air or surface sampling or both.  Environmental Diagnostics Laboratory (EDLab) has designed specialty kits for the do-it-yourselfer (DIY) to analyze for the carbon based smoke particulate called Smoke Particulate Screen Check (SPSC).

The kits are available from Building Health Check at www.indoorairtest.com, at selected Goin’ Postal across the US as well as on line retailers.

In response to smoke related damage EDLab, an AIHA accredited lab, has added local capacity, including weekend and emergency staffing, to support the increased need for environmental smoke particulate testing. As the nation's leading environmental testing laboratory, EDLab has added sixteen (16) drop-off centers in California.  Call 1-800-422-7873 ext 802 for sample drop-off locations.

About Environmental Diagnostics Laboratory (EDLab):

Alan Wozniak founded Pure Air Control Services, Inc. in 1984 as a small mechanical contracting firm. Today is the industry standard for indoor environmental quality diagnosis, laboratory analysis and remediation. Pure Air has serviced more than 600 million square feet of indoor environments in over 10,000 facilities.

Pure Air Control Services nationally performed IAQ services include: Building Sciences Evaluation; Building Health Check; an AIHA accredited Environmental Microbiology Laboratory  (EDLab),  Environmental Project Management; and Mold Remediation Services, among other indoor environmental services.

The company’s expanding client roster includes the General Services Administration (GSA); Allstate Insurance; Carrier Air Conditioning; Naval Air Warfare Center, Orlando; and Naval Air Station - King's Bay, Georgia, and many other Fortune 500 companies, school boards, and city, state, and county governments, making Pure Air a reliable industry leader.

For more information on EDLab, Pure Air Services, Inc. please contact Ed Ziegler, VP, at (800) 422-7873 x804, or visit www.pureaircontrols.com.