Wildfire Smoke 101

Summer is almost always accompanied by wildfire smoke. Here are some tips to navigate the effects of wildfire smoke

DR. WHITEDR. FEATHERMAN

Dr. Kendra Featherman and Dr. Christine White Deeble

7/19/20242 min read

wildfire burning across hillside at dusk

Routinely Check Air Quality

Missoula air quality can be checked in the weather app or on the Missoula County Health Department website here.

Filter Your Air

Make sure you have some sort of air filtration system before wildfire smoke hits this summer. There are many ways to do this:

Use your home’s HVAC system. Even if you don’t have air conditioning you can set your HVAC to “circulate” or “fan” mode to keep the air moving throughout the home and going through the HVAC filters. HVAC filters have a MERV rating from 1-16, the higher the number, the smaller the particles the filter catches. I recommend the highest you can find, and a minimum of MERV 13 for wildfire smoke. Most people are surprised to find these filters should be changed every 3 months for regular maintenance. During active wildfire smoke season, I recommend changing them every 4 weeks.
Use HEPA filters in bedrooms, when we sleep, it is the time when our body heals and recovers from exposure during the day. The best air filter is EnviroKlenz but GermGuardian is a good and more cost effective option. Those with Northwestern Energy can qualify for a $100 rebate on a Energy Star-rated HEPA filter. For more information, go to: HEPA filters - MONTANA WILDFIRE SMOKE
Add a Filter to a Box Fan. A simple inexpensive box fan can be paired with a furnace filter to create an effective home air cleaner. There are lots of examples out there, here’s a link to a simple video explanation.

Increase Antioxidants

Nutrition. Everyone should be getting plenty of antioxidants in their summer diet with lots of fresh fruits and veggies but supplementing during days of smoke exposure is supportive so the lung tissue can recover and heal. This is especially for people with sensitive lungs (kiddos, older adults, and people with asthma).
Glutathione. Tri-Fortify Glutathione in watermelon or orange flavor is the best tasting liquid glutathione that’s easy to get kids to take. Adults love it too.
N-Acetyl Cysteine. The precursor to glutathione that can help make mucous easier to clear.
Fruit Anthocyanins. Tasty, concentrated fruit antioxidants (think grape and berry juice turned into medicine).

Limit Outdoor Activity

When wildfire smoke is present, it is helpful to decrease time outdoors and/ or limit vigorous activity outdoors. I’ve seen kids that have normal healthy lungs prescribed steroids to preserve their lung function after too much exposure. The damage to sensitive lungs is not worth the long-term damage that can occur. The rule of thumb is if you can smell wildfire smoke, you should stay inside.

Here is a helpful chart to help you decide if air quality is good enough to stay outside.

In Missoula, the Public Library, Currents Aquatic Center, and the YMCA or your gym are good options to help burn off some energy during poor air quality days. It’s also a good time to plan a day trip out of the Missoula Valley, to somewhere where smoke levels might be lower.

Here is a link to Missoula area activities that are free/ low cost (also has outdoor activities for when air quality is good).

You're Not Alone

For more information about navigating wildfire smoke in Montana, visit MONTANA WILDFIRE SMOKE - MONTANA WILDFIRE SMOKE, a website of Climate Smart Missoula.