SALISBURY, Md. – Hazy skies and poor air quality prompted health warnings in Salisbury Friday, with residents adjusting their routines.
At MAC (Maintaining Active Citizens), an agency on aging that supports elderly residents in Salisbury, staff offered masks to anyone who needed to head outside, recommending them as a way to better protect against inhaling toxic particles in the smoky air.
Staff at the center also urged the community to check in on older friends and family members during the poor air quality.
Community relations and development manager Nick Cranford said seniors face heightened risk from the smoke.
"Because seniors are especially vulnerable to smoky air because of health conditions that could be cardiovascular or respiratory, we're encouraging everyone to stay indoors and limit outdoor activities such as yard work or exercise,” Cranford said. “So stay indoors, keep your windows closed, keep your doors closed, and use air conditioning if you're able.”
For Salisbury resident Christa Hill, who has asthma, the smoke has meant rethinking her day.
"It just alerts me to take precautions to maybe arrange my day in a way that I'm not running errands or spending a lot of time outside because it's dangerous. Especially if I was outside for more than ten minutes and without an inhaler. That could be dangerous," Hill said.
Hill said even brief exposure has taken a toll.
"I have asthma and use an inhaler. I was outside {for} ten minutes or less and felt it immediately was hard to breathe and used my inhaler as soon as I got back in," she said. "Usually I would walk in the morning before work, maybe half an hour sometimes an hour depending on the weather, but not the past few days.”
Hill said she is even using her inhaler multiple times a day – a jump from her usual couple times a week.
At Live Fit in Salisbury, staff said they've had to adjust their own workouts, and they've noticed customers scaling back too.
"Right now, I think there's probably 4 or 5 people in here, and usually Fridays mid-afternoon are when we have a good pop. But there's definitely been a change and a decline due to the haze," Abigail Cullen said.
Cullen said the smoke has cut into her outdoor exercise routine as well.
"I used to like going on walks or going on runs at night or early morning, but that's kind of gone on a halt due to all the haze and the heat. Especially now with the haze. It’s wake up and next day you're all coughing and it's kind of congested. So it's made a difference with how I work out," Cullen said.
Doctors say people should pay close attention to warning signs from their bodies.
"You need to seek emergency care immediately if you are experiencing severe shortness of breath, especially when it's at rest. If you are having trouble speaking in full sentences because you are out of breath,” Dr. Ahmad Alqam of Beebe Healthcare said.
Dr. Sally Dowling, MD, CPE, chief clinical officer at TidalHealth Atlantic, said exertion outdoors compounds the risk.
"The longer anyone is breathing in poor quality air or the more they are exerting themselves, either by physical work or exercise, the more the poor air quality can affect them, their respiratory tract, and lower their oxygen intake," Dr. Dowling said.
Dowling recommended the following precautions during periods of poor air quality:
Limit the time spent outside.
Exert yourself as little as possible.
Take frequent breaks in a location with air conditioning.
Keep windows and doors closed as much as possible and keep air conditioning running.
The Maryland Department of the Environment reported an Air Quality Index of 174 in Salisbury Friday — well above the EPA's threshold of 100 for satisfactory air quality.
Salisbury even cancelled 3rd Friday festivities due to poor air quality.
Air quality conditions are expected to improve heading into the weekend.
