In an age of megafires, do you need a smoke pollution plan?

The dull smell of bushfire smoke has returned to parts of Australia, with fires in remote Tasmania and the Grampians National Park spilling smoke into the atmosphere.

As satellite images show, a single distant fire can quickly spread pollution across the continent, impacting the health of millions of people.

While thankfully not on the scale of the devastating Australian bushfires of 2019-20, such fires are a stark reminder that the health impacts of bushfire extend far beyond the flames.

When the smoke from those fires cleared, over 400 people were estimated to have died as a result of the seemingly inescapable smoke haze.

Hospitals managed thousands of additional people who presented to emergency departments with urgent cardiac, respiratory and asthma symptoms.

Of course, Australia is not alone.

Amidst worsening bushfire conditions globally, communities are grappling with how to respond to the dual problems of fire and smoke.

Preparation is key. Once you can smell the bushfire, you are already inhaling fine airborne particles which could be putting your health at risk.

The good news is that simple and affordable strategies can make a big difference in reducing your exposure and protecting vulnerable people around you.

As Australia enters the dangerous late-Summer period, now is the time to make a smoke pollution plan.

Know your health risk

So, who exactly should make a plan to avoid bushfire smoke?

Smoke pollution negatively affects everyone’s health over time. Avoiding smoke where you can is always a good idea.

However, many people face an elevated risk of a sudden deterioration in their health due to a smoke episode. This includes anybody who either:

• Lives with a lung disease like asthma or COPD, and/or

• Lives with another long-term illness like heart disease or diabetes, and/or
• Is over 65 years of age.

Research suggests that it is important to reduce children’s exposure to smoke during the crucial developmental window of 0-5 years to prevent health problems arising later in life.

Likewise, pregnant women are advised to reduce their exposure as air pollution can impact the health of babies in the womb.?

If you or someone you care for is at risk, take 15 minutes now to make a plan.

The best strategies for avoiding smoke

Researchers at the University of Canberra HEAL National Research Network Global Research Centre recently published a systematic review of studies that evaluated the effectiveness of different strategies to avoid smoke pollution.

In collaboration with experts from the Centre for Safe Air and Asthma Australia , these are some of the best ways we identified for avoiding smoke during severe bushfires.

1. Staying indoors where possible and closing doors and windows is an important way to temporarily reduce your exposure to smoke. An Australian study found that remaining indoors reduced hourly exposure by between 14–45%. Seal gaps around doors and windows but ensure any gas cookers or heaters have adequate ventilation. Once the smoke clears, open the doors and windows to ventilate the house.
2. A P2 or N95 mask is extremely effective for reducing your exposure to bushfire smoke. A laboratory study found that these masks reduce exposure to harmful particulates contained in smoke by 94%. If you are at risk, ensure you have a supply of P2/N95 masks available. Just like you did during COVID-19, wear a mask outside and inside—especially if your house is not well-sealed.
3. If you are at risk from bushfire smoke, consider purchasing a portable air cleaner with a ‘high efficiency particulate air’ (HEPA) filter. We found that portable air cleaners reduced smoke pollution indoors by between 54%–92%. This can be a good option if you have children who are sensitive to smoke but who do not want to wear a mask at home.
4. Check your local air quality using a trusted smartphone app. Apps such as AirRater provide local and near real-time information about outdoor air hazards, including bushfire smoke. During the 2019-20 bushfires, researchers found that AirRater prompted users to take effective actions to reduce their exposure to smoke.
5. Take shelter in a building that is likely to have cleaner air, like a library or a shopping centre, especially if your home is not well-sealed. Buildings with mechanical ventilation remove up to 87% of harmful particulates when using a ‘MERV 12/13’ filter or up to 58% with a ‘MERV 5/8 filter’. During the 2019-20 fires, a ‘clean air shelter’ was established inside a public library in Port Macquarie, NSW, resulting in an improvement in air quality by up to 83%.

Bushfire smoke can be very hard to avoid and these strategies might not be appropriate for everyone, especially if you need to evacuate. The aim of your bushfire smoke plan is to reduce the amount of smoke you are exposed to, not to eliminate exposure altogether.

Make a plan

So, what can you do now?

• Discuss these strategies with your doctor and develop a health plan for smoke episodes, including any changes to your medication plan.
• During the smoke event, find cleaner air where possible, stay calm, stay cool, monitor your symptoms, and keep your medication on hand.
• If you or anyone in your care is having difficulty breathing, chest tightness or other medical emergency, call 000 in Australia.

By reflecting on what has helped to keep people safe from smoke during the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires, we can begin to adapt to our rapidly changing climate and together, become more resilient.

This research was all part of the Healthy-Air: Pollution advice for people with asthma project and the chief investigators included:

• Professor Sotiris Vardoulakis , Director of the NHMRC Healthy Environments And Lives (HEAL) National Research Network and Professor of Environmental Public Health at the University of Canberra Health Research Institute.
• Professor Fay Johnston , Chief Investigator at the Centre for Safe Air based at the 澳大利亚塔斯马尼亚大学 's Menzies Institute for Medical Research .
• Dr Nigel Goodman , Senior Research Fellow in Air Quality and Health based in the Health Research Institute at the University of Canberra.
• Dr Sharon Campbell, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Environmental Health Research team at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania.
• Dr Amanda Wheeler, CSIRO and Associate Investigator at the Centre for Safe Air.