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Smoke Inhalation

Wildfire Smoke - Gets In Your Lungs

Medical Author: Benjamin C. Wedro, MD, FAAEM
Medical Editors: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Picture of Wildfires in Southern CaliforniaEvery summer the risk for forest fires are greater in climates with a lot of underbrush and tree growth. Often people have just minutes to grab a few items before they are forced to evacuate their home. The number of people evacuated and the number of homes destroyed are hard to comprehend at times. But as the fires die down, the television cameras will move to the next story, and the stories from wildefires will be replaced by the next catastrophe.

In the medical world, the fallout from the fires may be exactly that…

Read the rest of the effects of breathing fire smoke »

Smoke Inhalation Overview

The number one cause of death related to fires is smoke inhalation. An estimated 50%-80% of fire deaths are the result of smoke inhalation injuries rather than burns.

Smoke inhalation occurs when you breathe in the products of combustion during a fire. Combustion results from the rapid breakdown of a substance by heat (more commonly called burning). Smoke is a mixture of heated particles and gases. It is impossible to predict the exact composition of smoke produced by a fire. The products being burned, the temperature of the fire, and the amount of oxygen available to the fire all make a difference in the type of smoke produced.



Next: Smoke Inhalation Causes »

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Smoke Inhalation

Bronchitis »

Bronchitis Overview

Bronchitis is an acute inflammation of the air passages within the lungs. It occurs when the trachea (windpipe) and the large and small bronchi (airways) within the lungs become inflamed because of infection or other causes.

  • The thin mucous lining of these airways can become irritated and swollen.
  • The cells that make up this lining may leak fluids in response to the inflammation.
  • Coughing is a reflex that works to clear secretions from the lungs. Often the discomfort of a severe cough leads you to seek medical treatment.
  • Both adults and children can get bronchitis. Symptoms are similar for both.
  • Infants usually get bronchiolitis, which involves the smaller airways and causes symptoms similar to asthma.

Bronchitis Causes

Bronchitis occurs most often during the cold and flu season, usually co...

Read the Bronchitis article »



Read What Your Physician is Reading on eMedicine

Smoke Inhalation »

Smoke inhalation (SI) was described as early as the first century AD, when Pliny reported the execution of prisoners by exposure to the smoke of greenwood fires.

Read More on eMedicine »

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