Skip your morning jog: Cleveland doctor says wildfire smoke is at harmful levels

CLEVELAND, Ohio— Canadian wildfires continue to rage and winds are pushing smoke south, meaning the poor air experienced Tuesday in Chicago has made its way to Cleveland.

The skies are hazy and a smell of smoke is lingering in the air. At 10 a.m. the air quality index was 291 according to airnow.gov — already having surpassed the 228 recorded in Chicago yesterday. And yet city workers are out repaving roads, there are still plenty of cyclists and joggers on the streets.

But this is a mistake according to Dr. Maeve MacMurdo, a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic, who noted that the air quality right now is some of the worst it’s ever been.

“Ideally right now, you just shouldn’t be outside at all,” said MacMurdo. “And if you are going to be outside really try and limit your physical activity.”

That means walking, not running — and definitely no jogging, MacMurdo said.

Cities are canceling recreation programs and closing outdoor pools. Girl Scout leaders are keeping kids indoors at Camp Ledgewood and Camp Timberlane.

But is it really all that bad?

Read more: Is wildfire smoke as bad for your pets as it is for you?

Read more: Wildfire smoke causes 2 Midwestern cities to record worst air quality in world Tuesday – cleveland.com

Sure, you smell like you’ve been sitting around a campfire, but most of us have endured a room filled with secondhand cigarette smoke or taken a puff of campfire smoke in the face and lived to tell the tale.

“It’s easy to think, well it’s going to be short term and it’s going to go away, but unfortunately wave had a lot of these bad air quality days, and their impact does add up over time,” MacMurdo said.

The long-term health effects of intermittent exposure to wildfire smoke is still unknown, MacMurdo said. Although various studies are being conducted, the increase in wild-fires due to climate change is a relatively recent phenomenon, and the data just isn’t in yet. But we do have a lot of data on the exposure to the fine particles in the air and the damage they can do.

“That fine particulate matter, which is what we are seeing the most of right now, that can really get into the lungs and cause a lot of irritation,” MacMurdo said. “Even a short-term exposure to poor air quality with high levels of particulate matter can increase the risk of asthma flare ups, strokes and heart disease. But even if you’ve got completely normal lungs and have never had a lung problem it can make you feel like you’ve got chest tightness, it can make you cough and it can make you wheeze, and it may increase your risk of getting an infection or getting sick.”

Basically, it’s not good for you.

If you have any lung or heart-related conditions, a mask can help and should be worn if you leave the house, MacMurdo said. But it has to be a well-fitted N95 mask or better. Cloth masks or paper surgical masks will not be effective in eliminating the fine particles from smoke.

According to the National Weather Service, the air quality issues will persist throughout the day and should clear up late in the afternoon or this evening. The air quality is expected to be poor again on Thursday, but better than today.

Read more: When will Cleveland’s very unhealthy air quality improve? – cleveland.com

Children and older people are at the most vulnerable and will have the greatest impact from these short-term exposures, she said. For this reason they should also take extra precautions. If they haven’t called off the soccer or little league games, parents shouldn’t feel bad about skipping them.

“Kids sports shouldn’t be happening today,” MacMurdo said.

For a real-time update on local air quality go to airnow.gov.

Gretchen Cuda Kroen is a health reporter for cleveland.com. Read more of her stories here