Wildfire smoke: avoiding exposure, protecting yourself
January 10, 2025
UCI Health pulmonologist Dr. Richard Lee speaks to NBC LA about how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke.
IN THE NEWS: Smoke from wildfires such as the ones currently raging in Los Angeles is blanketing the region, causing the air quality to plummet to dangerous levels.
UCI Health pulmonologist Dr. Richard Lee spoke to NBC LA about who is most at risk.
“Avoid the smoke as much as possible. This is extremely important for patients with underlying lung diseases like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, patients with vascular disease, diabetes, elderly over 65 or those under 18. These are the patients that are most susceptible.”
Sometimes going outside can’t be avoided. In that case, he suggests wearing protection.
“If you do have to go outside, wearing a mask that protects you against the fine particulate matter – N95 or greater – will be what we would recommend.”
Lee also recommends paying attention to the local air quality index to know when it’s safe to be outside.
Lee is a board-certified UCI Health specialist in pulmonary and critical care medicine who sees patients at UCI Health Pulmonary and Critical Care Services. He is the director of the medical intensive care unit at UCI Medical Center in Orange. His clinical focus disease and conditions of the respiratory system, including lung cancer, severe asthma, pulmonary hypertension and pneumonia. He is also an associate professor in the Division of Pulmonary Diseases & Critical Care Medicine at UC Irvine School of Medicine.
