The health effects of the forest fires ravaging Spain: "They can cause great damage to the body."

Spain is immersed in the worst weeks of summer wildfires. Forest fires have left two people dead, several injured, and up to 8,000 evacuated in several regions of Castilla-León, Galicia, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, and Madrid, among others. The recent strong gusts of wind have caused, beyond the difficulty of extinguishing the fires, a layer of smoke to cover the sky, which has even spread to remote residential areas.

This has caused many people, especially those with respiratory problems, to worry about their health. From the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES) , the Outreach Coordinator, nurse Rosa Pérez , explained to EFEsalud that smoke from wildfires is composed of various gases such as carbon monoxide and dioxide , as well as small particles suspended in the air that, if inhaled, can cause "great harm to the body."

The effect of wildfires on the lungs and other tissues

This amount of gases generated by fires "stay in the lungs, can enter the blood, and can even alter the immune system," says Pérez. Carbon monoxide is highly toxic; it binds to hemoglobin and displaces oxygen in the blood, making breathing difficult and potentially causing circulatory problems.

In addition, the nurse also explains that there are other toxic organic compounds in the environment such as benzene or cyanide , so she emphasizes that the smoke itself is irritating and causes an inflammatory response in the body, which can damage tissues.

A cough or an asthma attack may appear in asthmatics. Chronic respiratory patients may experience wheezing, due to bronchial inflammation, and difficulty breathing. If there are suspended particles, it is recommended to wear an N95 filter mask to avoid inhaling them and thus try to prevent respiratory problems.

These suspended particles also irritate the throat and nose as a result of the body's inflammatory response, causing a cough and increased mucus production. " You'll get a runny nose, you'll cry, your throat will feel itchy, like it has dirt in it," Pérez explains.

Other effects: be careful with eyes and circulatory system

In fires, especially those that occur near capital cities or urban areas , not only organic matter such as trees or vegetation is burned, but also cars or plastics with toxic chemical compounds , which even remain in the air days after the fire.

This means that it's not just the lungs or respiratory system that suffer the most. In the case of the eyes, they sting and burn because the toxic substances stick to the surface of the cornea , creating a sensation of dryness and irritation. In these cases, the best thing to do is rinse your eyes with saline solution or use artificial tears. "If you're in an area where there's been a fire, protect your eyes and wear glasses," Pérez adds.

The SEMES Outreach Coordinator indicates that another health consequence could be headaches from inhaling carbon monoxide, which displaces oxygen in the blood . "In emergencies, when someone calls us saying they have a severe headache or are dizzy and it's winter, we always ask if they have a brazier or stove because they could be carbon monoxide poisoning ," the nurse emphasizes.

As a result of a decrease in oxygen in the body, the heart can accelerate in an attempt to pump blood more quickly, causing tachycardia, which, in addition to chest pain, also causes fatigue. "This tachycardia can cause circulatory problems in people with already fragile hearts , leading to a heart attack, angina, or arrhythmias , because the lack of oxygen also causes the heart to malfunction," he says.

The most vulnerable people are, as always, the chronically ill , especially those with heart and respiratory problems, the elderly, and also pregnant women and children . In this regard, the nurse points out that the gender perspective must be taken into account because women tolerate smoke exposure less well than men and have different mechanisms for avoiding these types of health problems caused by fires. "Therefore, an older woman with a chronic illness may fare worse," Pérez says.

They also affect mental health

Fires not only affect physical health, but also mental health and can lead to post-traumatic stress. "Imagine seeing a fire near your home, or even one that could endanger your home, your life, or the lives of your pets. Those people also need support afterward, psychological support," says Pérez.

In this sense, the expert believes that sometimes efforts focus on social and economic support and the physical consequences, "and we forget the psychological impact of these situations, which is very important."