As Southern Californians battle the wildfires, there are measures we all can take to protect our health from the harmful pollutants filling our air.

If you are a healthy individual, the ash and smoke from the fires can irritate your eyes and airways, cause coughing and/or a scratchy throat. They can also irritate your sinuses, cause headaches or a runny nose. In addition to short-term effects, there may be long term effects that can significantly impact your health.

Here are some tips you can follow to protect you and your family members (including seniors and children) from unhealthful air:

• Stay indoors. Limit your exposure to unhealthful air quality conditions as much as possible. Choose indoor options when air pollution levels are unhealthful. Keep your windows and doors closed. Use your air conditioning system and place it on recirculation mode, if available.
• Reduce outdoor activity. Reducing your physical activity in outdoor areas lowers the amount of polluted air your body intakes. Curtail your involvement in outdoor activities and events that require prolonged exposure and strenuous exercise or sports participation.
• Stay alert and informed. Listen to your local news and weather forecasts and air quality alerts provided by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD). If the air quality in your area worsens take necessary precautions and plan your activities accordingly.

Children are more sensitive to air pollution for several reasons. First their respiratory systems are still developing. Children also breathe more air per pound of bodyweight than adults. Lastly, they are more active outdoors, thus increasing their exposure to outdoor pollutants.

Here are some tips you can follow to protect children's health from unhealthful air:

Play indoors. Choose indoor options for children, who live and play in areas that have unhealthful pollution levels.
Reduce outdoor activity. Reducing outdoor physical activity lowers the amount of polluted air your body intakes. Schools and day care centers should curtail outdoor activities and events that involve prolonged exposure and strenuous exercise or sports participation.
Consult their physician. If your child suffers from a heart or lung ailment, talk with a doctor. Call the doctor immediately if your child's condition worsens.
Have a plan. Keep an adequate supply of your child's medications (5 days or more) on hand. If your child suffers from asthma have a written asthma management plan available.

Seniors are more susceptible to air pollution because they are more likely to have medical conditions such as chronic pulmonary disease, emphysema and bronchitis. High air pollution levels can worsen their health.

Here are some tips seniors can follow to protect themselves from unhealthful air:

Consult your physician. If you suffer from a heart or lung ailment, talk with your doctor. He or she can advise you on treatment or whether and when you should leave the area. Call your doctor immediately if your condition worsens. If you suffer from chronic diseases, have an adequate supply of medications (5 days or more) available.

While the ash and smoke are visible reminders of the pollution currently impacting our area, be even more cautious of the fine particles you can't see. These particles, which are invisible to the naked eye, bypass our natural defense system and lodge into our lungs. They can cause irritation, and over the long-term cause decreased lung function. They also make us more susceptible to developing diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and possibly cancer.

If you have any questions about air quality, please call AQMD at 1-800-CUT-SMOG or visit our website at www.aqmd.gov.

AQMD is the air pollution control agency for all of Orange County and the urban portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, the smoggiest region of the U.S. We are committed to protecting the health of residents, while remaining sensitive to businesses.

Tonia Reyes Uranga
Member, SCAQMD Governing Board