Australia Day and, with the weekend following closely, Victoria is experiencing its second major heat wave this year, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees C. The 2006 bushfire season has hit with a fury. In Melbourne, we have been seeing the pictures of bushfires on the television networks and hear the fire updates on ABC Radio. And now we are beginning to smell the smoke generated by the fires closer to the city.
"Smoke and increased air pollution from fires can trigger asthma symptoms, such as wheezing, coughing or chest tightness," warned National Asthma Council Chairman, Associate Professor John Wilson. "Anyone living in a high risk bushfire zone, as well as those living in the outlying suburbs where grassfires can pose a smoke risk, should include asthma management in their fire safety survival plan." Professor Wilson also warned city dwellers not to underestimate the potential risk to their health.
Dr Robert Hall, the Chief Health Officer at the Department of Human Services, explained to Red Symons how people can minimise exposure to smoke. "Bushfire smoke contains particles of different sizes, water vapour and gases, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. And that means it can go a long way deep into the lungs where it can, in sensitive people, cause a lot of irritation. So exercise is one thing that increases your need for oxygen, and therefore we recommend that people rest up, and if it’s severe, then staying indoors with the air conditioner on reverse cycle so that air is not brought into the house, having the windows and doors closed, so that you’re breathing relatively clean air, compared with the air outside." Larger sized air-borne particles, containing burning debris, contribute to the visible haze when a fire is burning. They are generally too large to be breathed into the lungs, but they can cause irritation to the lungs, throat and nose.
Paul Holman, the Metropolitan Ambulance Service Operations Manager, continues to be surprised by people’s actions. Suggesting that we are becoming complacent, Tracey Curro asked what the sensible way for people to handle these sorts of temperatures is? "What we found during last weekend’s heat was, that people weren’t giving this weather the respect that it needs," responds Paul. "The sensible thing to do is, of course, to keep hydrating. You must keep those fluids up. And that’s plenty of water, not plenty of beer, which has a de-hydrating affect on people. Last Sunday we had nearly 120 people affected by heat or collapse, and a percentage of those were out running or cycling or other such things, in that midday sun. It really is a bit of a recipe for disaster."
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http://www.abc.net.au/melbourne/stories/s1555871.htm?backyard
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