Smoke is very dangerous; most people die in fires from smoke inhalation, not from burns. If you live near any of the fire areas, if you are a health, rescue, or fire emergency worker, you may be at risk from the health effects of smoke. Even weeks after a fire the smoke and debris dust may not cause traumatic injury, but it can have major health effects. Here's what you should know and what you can do about smoke and dust.

For the many asthmatics and allergy patients the irritants of smoke and dust can be serious, but it can affect us all, in the severe conditions caused by large fires. In the respiratory tract — the nose, sinuses, trachea (windpipe) and the smaller airways of the lungs there are millions of tiny "oars" called cilia. These move back and forth to remove the smoke products. In the nose they beat backwards and move these products out of the nose to the stomach. In the chest they beat upwards to move the unwanted material out of the lungs to the throat, where the end up harmless in the stomach. If you can keep the cilia active, you can avoid the problems that come from smoke inhalation.

Wood and paper fires create chemicals such as carbon monoxide and various aldehydes that act to impair cilia function. Chemicals can be much worse. One bad sign: when the cilia of the chest can’t do their job, coughing takes over. Either there is too much material in the lungs for the cilia to handle or the cilia aren’t moving enough to do their job.

Besides avoiding the smoke, what can you do?

1. Do breathe through a wet mask.
2. Drink large amounts of tea. Tea stimulates the cilia. Decaffeinated tea is fine.
3. Chicken soup also speeds cilia.
4. Drink enough of any liquids so that the urine turns light colored, almost clear.
5. Use a nasal moisturizer spray. Be sure there is no benzalkonium or other preservative that might impair the nasal function. One recommended product is Breathe·Ease ™.This is a special formula that is designed to improve nasal cilia function. Comes with a spray bottle and contains no preservative chemicals. You can use it as a spray to cleanse the nose and as a mist to moisten the nose. By cleaning the nose this way you can preserve the normal nasal function.
6. You can use the pulsating irrigator — dental irrigator with sinus attachment to remove all the material from the nose and sinuses. This pulsation is the best means of restoring the cilia function. The pulsating stream is effective in removing foreign material and the rhythm of pulsation helps in restoration of cilia movement.
7. IF YOU ARE STUCK, IN A REMOTE AREA, OR OTHERWISE UNABLE TO GET SUPPLIES: If you are unable to get yourself a pulsating irrigator and Breathe·Ease ™, make yourself this preparation : Use 1/2 teaspoon tea salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 8 ounces warm water . Sniff the solution gently but rapidly in the nose and out the mouth until clear. Because the mixture is at the same saltiness as your body, it will not hurt, nor will it feel like you are drowning.
   
   For cough breathe steam in the shower with tongue out.
   
   If you can relax, you can stop coughing long enough to get some rest. But you cough, and get anxious, and can't rest, so you cough, get anxious, and .... Practice relaxation by breathing in and out slowly. Breathe in, count 4, breathe out, count 6, relax as you exhale. this will help many persons.
8. Most of the over the counter cough preparations such as Robitussin are fine for loosening thick phlegm in the chest. Try to avoid codeine preparations as these may slow cilia.
9. Caution: although antihistamines work well for seasonal allergy, they may cause additional drying of the mucus secondary to smoke exposure. Fine to use Entex LA, Zephex LA, Sudafed and similar products for congestion after smoke inhalation, but caution in using the regular antihistamines. The congestion following smoke exposure is not necessarily an allergic response as it is an inflammatory one.