People with respiratory diseases are particularly at risk from the fires affecting the country and the smoke they give off.
- Fire-related particles can travel several tens of kilometres.
- Even after the fire has been extinguished, the pollution may persist due to the wind which lifts the particles.
- A toll-free number has been set up by the ARS de Gironde: 0800 009 763
For more than a week, two fires have been ravaging the forests of Gironde, releasing heavy smoke in the region and beyond. In Tours, Orleans and even Paris, the smell of burning was felt by the inhabitants. “Many questions currently relate to the presence of smoke from these fires, of which a cloud and the smell of burnt wood are perceptible, depending on the direction of the winds, outside the department or even the region.explains the New Aquitaine Regional Health Agency in a communicatedreleased Tuesday, July 19.
#FiresGironde | Facing the smoke:
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⚠ People at risk: special vigilance is necessary ⤵
+ information: https://t.co/VowRvXkK19 pic.twitter.com/QjwJPyd8DR– ARS New Aquitaine (@ARS_NAquit) July 19, 2022
Evacuations sometimes necessary
“During these fires, large quantities of particles (PM10, PM2.5 and ultrafine) and chemical compounds (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, etc.) are emitted into the atmosphere and detected in the smoke”remember Atmosud, the air monitoring body in the South Region. All of these particles can be irritating and require precautions. In the areas closest to the fires and smoke, the populations are evacuated in case of risk. Otherwise, people with acute respiratory pathologies are recommended not to open the windows and stay at home. It is also not recommended to do a sports activity in the presence of fumes.
What to do in remote areas?
However, a certain vigilance is also necessary in the areas affected by the smoke, but far from the fires. “In the most remote areas where the smoke from forest fires reaches, the recommendations to avoid irritation consist, for everyone, in: limiting the time spent outdoors, restricting intense physical activities outdoors, closely monitoring people at risk”, underlines the ARS Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It reminds employees working outdoors and performing physical tasks that they may be more subject to irritation due to long exposure to fumes. “Their employers are invited to be vigilant, and to contact their occupational medicine service if necessary.adds the agency.
People more at risk
People considered at risk should be careful. This concerns individuals with a respiratory history, such as asthma, chronic respiratory failure or heart failure. “Depending on the appearance of symptoms or respiratory discomfort, people at risk should contact a general practitioner, and failing that, depending on the intensity of the symptoms or the discomfort, contact the emergency 15″advises the ARS.
For all other people, a simple irritation of the respiratory tract should not alert: it is not necessary to contact your doctor, nor the SAMU. “Avoid cluttering the telephone lines of the firefighters, contact them only if you identify a fire start”warns the Gironde department.
