dr Michelle Houde, a resident who has had great success with her popular medical videos on TikTok, explained what particulate matter is caused by wildfires.
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“The fine particles measure less than 2.5 microns, which is 30 times smaller than a hair. When you breathe in pollutants, dust, etc., the larger pieces get stuck in your nose first. We have little hairs in our noses that catch, for example, a small piece of pollen that we would have inhaled,” explains the doctor.
The smaller particles that aren’t blocked in the nose continue down the windpipe and into the bronchi, Dr. Houde away.
“These two bronchi divide into small bronchioles and eventually reach the alveoli. Gas exchange between the inhaled oxygen and the blood takes place in the pulmonary alveoli. There are small capillaries, small vessels. The CO2 produced by the body will exit there again. If the particles are as small as PM2.5, they go straight to the alveoli. This is very important because it leads to inflammation, an inflammatory defense reaction in the alveoli. There may be play on breathing. Therefore, smog, pollutant particles or forest fires can increase the symptoms of asthmatics.
Therefore, those suffering from a respiratory disease will find that their breathing capacity is limited by these particles, which in a way “block” the alveoli.
However, poor air quality can also affect healthy people, especially if they are physically active.
She warns: Wearing a medical mask, an intervention, will not change much.
“The particles are so tiny and they pass through the mask,” she says.
However, the N95 mask is effective, as many studies have shown, which Dr. Michelle confirmed.
In a subsequent video, she actually explains that the N95 mask can help very sick people who are badly affected by smog and fine dust.
“But if you’re healthy, wearing a mask isn’t necessary,” she concludes.