What you should know about wildfire smoke in homes

When wildfires spread through neighborhoods, they burn all kinds of materials found in cars, homes, and everything around them — electronics, paint, plastics, furniture.

Research shows that a combination Chemicals were released When man-made materials such as these burn, they are different from what is emitted during a vegetation fire and potentially more toxic. Smoke and ash can blow under doors and around windows in neighboring homes, introducing chemicals that are absorbed into furniture, walls and other interior surfaces and continue to off-gas for weeks to months.

As people return to their smoke-damaged homes after wildfires, there are… Many steps they can take To preserve their health before starting cleaning.

High levels of metals and volatile organic compounds

In 2021, after the Marshall Fire tore through neighborhoods near Boulder, Colorado, my colleagues and I at Colorado universities and laboratories listened to many residents who were concerned about ash and Unpleasant odors inside their homes That survived the fire.

They found it in homes that my colleagues were able to quickly test Elevated levels of minerals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ash. We also found higher VOCs – volatile organic compounds – in airborne samples. Some volatile organic compounds, e.g Dioxins, benzene, Formaldehyde and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonscan be toxic to humans. Gasoline is Known carcinogen.

At that time, we could not find any information about the physical health effects of people who returned to smoke-damaged homes after wildfires. So, to look for patterns, we Population surveyed They were affected by the fire six months, one year and two years after the fire.

Even six months after the fire, we found it Many people were reporting symptoms Which is consistent with the health risks related to smoke and ash resulting from fires.

More than half (55%) reported that they experienced at least one symptom six months after the fire that they attributed to the Marshall Fire. The most common symptoms reported were itchy or watery eyes (33%), headache (30%), dry cough (27%), sneezing (26%), and sore throat (23%).

All of these symptoms, plus a strange taste in the mouth, have been associated with people reporting that their home smelled different when they returned to it a week after the fire.

Many survey respondents said the odors decreased over time. Most attributed the improved smell to the passage of time, cleaning surfaces and air ducts, replacing furnace filters, and removing carpets, textiles and furniture from the home. Despite this, many of them still suffer from symptoms.

We also found that living near a high number of burning buildings was associated with these health symptoms. We found that for every 10 additional destroyed buildings within 820 feet (250 m) of a person’s home, there was a 21% increase in associated headaches and a 26% increase in having a strange taste in the mouth.

These symptoms are consistent with what would be expected from exposure to the chemicals we found in the ash and measured in the air inside the ash. Smoke-damaged homes that we were able to study In depth.

Symptoms and lingering questions

There are still many unanswered questions about the health risks from homes damaged by smoke and ash.

For example, we don’t yet know what the long-term health effects might be for people living with trapped gases from wildfire smoke and ash in the home. We found great importance Decrease in the number of people Reporting symptoms one year after the fire. However, 33% of people whose homes were affected who responded to a subsequent survey still reported at least one symptom that they attributed to the fire. About the same proportion also reported at least one symptom two years after the fire.

We also could not measure the level of VOCs or metals to which each person was exposed. But we believe that reports of a person’s home smell changing one week after the fire indicate that VOCs may be present in the home. This is likely to have health impacts on people whose homes are exposed to smoke or ash from wildfires.

Tips to protect yourself after wildfires

Forest fires are Houses and other buildings are increasingly burning like More people are moving in urban wilderness interface, Temperatures rise The seasons of fire are prolonged.

If your home survived a nearby wildfire, here are some Steps to think about Before starting cleaning:

• When you’re ready to clean your house, start by protecting yourself. Wear at least an N95 (or KN95) mask Gloves, goggles, and clothing that covers your skin. Cleaning can send some of those gases and ash back into the air.
• Keep people with heart or lung disease, the elderly, pregnant women, children and pets away from cleaning activities.
• Vacuum floors, curtains and furniture. A recent scientific study How-to documentation Clean all surfaces Indoors, tanks can reduce VOCs and reduce VOC concentrations in indoor air. Once the outside air is purified, open the windows to let in clean air.
• Avoid harsh chemical cleaners because they can react with the chemicals in the ash.
• Clean your HVAC filter and ducts to avoid spreading the ash further, and change filters monthly until the odor disappears. Portable air cleaners with carbon filters can help remove VOCs and particulates.
• If your car smells of smoke, consider changing your cabin air filter.

This is an update to an article First published December 23, 2024.

Colin E. ReedAssociate Professor of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder

This article was republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons license. Read Original article.