What wildfire smoke could be doing to your lungs

With wildfire smoke continuing to affect Green Country, local experts are warning of the potential risks posed by inhaling smoky air. Dr. Jad Kebbe, a pulmonologist at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center who specializes in advanced lung disease, spoke with News On 6's Dave Davis about the dangers of breathing in wildfire smoke and how to protect your health.

Q: What are we breathing in when we breathe smoky air?

Dr. Kebbe: "It's a very good question. Yes, it's not a kind thing to our lungs that we are breathing all this smoke from the wildfires and the dust that surrounds us. And this can bring in carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, if we're near a fire, it can bring in aromatic hydrocarbons, which are chemicals, and even more importantly, can bring in something called small particulate matter, which are very small particle things smaller than sand, dust, things 20 times smaller than a hair strand that can go in, deep inside our lungs and cause a lot of inflammation and problems for our breathing systems. And they can cause long term damage."

Q: What are some of the short-term effects people might experience from inhaling this particulate matter?

Dr. Kebbe: "Short term, you can have irritation of your eyes, lungs, airways, if you have asthma, allergies, or can those can act up, unfortunately. But long term, the inflammation can actually cause problems with lung inflammation. Couple main things to keep in mind would be pulmonary fibrosis or sarcoidosis, which can have very long-term effect and damage to people's lung health and health in general."

Q: What is sarcoidosis, and how do you know when you need to see a doctor for it?

Dr. Kebbe: "Yes, people can develop problems with breathing. Think cough, shortness of breath, sometimes even problem with wheezing, if it affects the airways. Sarcoidosis can cause inflammation not only in the lungs but in other systems. And it's a cluster of cells of inflammation that can cause disease in lungs and other organs and can make people, even sometimes lose weight, have fever, sweat at night. So it can mimic an infection. It's one of those conditions that can have similarities with other conditions, but it's important because it can destroy the lungs long-term."

Q: Who is especially vulnerable to the effects of wildfire smoke?

Dr. Kebbe: "Yeah, I think everyone can be vulnerable, but those who have health problems, autoimmune conditions, people who have sensitive lungs, or even who have genetic predisposition to develop this type of inflammation and long-term scarring."

Q: Are people with asthma or COPD at higher risk?

Dr. Kebbe: "Of course, yes, any of this particulate matter and other hydrocarbons that people can inhale can affect the airways and can cause asthma attacks, COPD attacks. So it's very important for people to be sensitive to their symptoms, how they're changing, take their inhalers and breathing treatments and make sure they reach out to their doctors or seek medical care if they have any of those symptoms."

Q: What are some ways to protect ourselves when wildfire smoke starts affecting the air quality?

Dr. Kebbe: "It's very important for people to protect their lungs. Stay inside. If you can watch the air quality, if it goes up, make sure you are staying indoors. Use an air purifier. If you have to go outside, use something like an N95 mask or a P100 respirator. Make sure the quality of the air inside the house with the filters have been changed. Make sure that you drink enough water and stay well hydrated. And reach out to your health care provider to make sure if they have any additional recommendations for you to stay healthy."