On the West Coast, wildfires are taking human lives and destroying homes. On the East Coast, the devastating results of Hurricane Helene are leading to illegal open burning of debris and trash. Thousands of miles separate these fires, but the results are the same—dangerous particles are entering the air we breathe.
LUNGevity spoke with Angela Hopper, an 11-year lung cancer survivor who spent 30 years working as an air quality specialist at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. We asked her, "What do people with lung cancer need to know about keeping themselves safe around smoke, pollution, and dangerous air quality?"
“Due to my job, I've heard a lot of stories of people with lung cancer or other chronic respiratory issues thinking they’re keeping themselves safe from dangerous air particles when they actually aren’t. It’s really important people know two key things,” says Angela.
Angela emphasizes that people with lung cancer should:
- Be aware of the air quality around them
- Adjust their outdoor activities when air quality is moderate to bad
Be Aware of Poor Air Quality
Angela’s favorite tool, and something she suggests all people use, is the airnow.gov website. You can search your location and see up-to-date air quality measurements and future forecasts. Even better, she recommends signing up to get daily email updates about air quality in your area. Fires are not the only driver of poor air quality—there are many factors—which is why year-round email updates are so helpful.
For people with chronic lung or heart diseases, Angela says the yellow (moderate) designation for air quality is when you need to start paying attention and adjusting outdoor activities.
Adjust Your Outdoor Activities
Angela encourages people with lung cancer to reduce their time outside as much as possible once air quality gets to a moderate level. Staying indoors is the best thing to do when air quality is poor.
“I remember a very specific conversation I had with someone who had lung cancer. They knew the air quality around them was bad, but said they wanted to go for a walk outside and planned to wear a mask to protect themselves. Even in this case I suggested they stay indoors because there are so many variables when it comes to wearing a mask, such as having the right kind and making sure there are no gaps where air can get in. The air particulate pieces that cause issues are very, very small. When I needed to wear a mask for work, I had to go through a specific mask-fitting process to make sure no air could get in,” says Angela.
For more information specific to wildfires and masks, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a wildfire smoke factsheet available: Protect Your Lungs from Wildfire Smoke or Ash.