(HealthDayNews) -- Smoke from wildfires is a mixture of gases and fine particles from burning trees and other plant matter. Smoke can hurt your eyes, irritate your respiratory system and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
Protect yourself by paying attention to local air-quality reports. If you are advised to stay indoors, keep indoor air clean. Keep windows and doors closed unless it's extremely hot.
Also, run an air conditioner if you have one, but keep the fresh-air intake closed and the filter clean to keep smoke from getting in. If you don't have an air conditioner and it's too warm to stay inside with the windows closed, seek shelter elsewhere.
Use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, which can reduce the number of irritating fine particles in indoor air.
Do not add to indoor pollution. When smoke levels are high, do not use candles, fireplaces or gas stoves. Do not vacuum, because vacuuming stirs up grounded particles. And one more obvious suggestion: Do not smoke.
