The recent wildfires within Jefferson County, Colorado, have raised concerns about air quality and health effects from smoke. Smoke from wildfires is usually a mixture of gases and fine particles from burning trees and other plant materials. Smoke can cause: coughing, a scratchy throat, irritated sinuses, shortness of breath, chest pain, headaches, stinging eyes, runny nose, asthma exacerbations. If you have heart or lung disease, it might make your symptoms worse. For more detail on these types of symptoms, see the JCPH fact sheet.

Jefferson County Public Health reminds everyone that smoke-related health problems primarily depend on the level of exposure, individual age and physical susceptibility. Healthy individuals will normally recover quickly from smoke exposure and may not suffer long-term consequences. However, certain sensitive populations may experience more severe acute and chronic symptoms from smoke exposure.

The current areas of most concern are whether or not people should stay indoors, and whether physical activities outdoors should be limited. The wildfire smoke situation for most areas within Jefferson County as of March 23 at 4:25 p.m., does not warrant limiting being outdoors or limiting outdoor physical activities for the general public. For those at high risk of health complications from exposure to smoke such as those with heart or lung disease, COPD, emphysema or asthma, and for children, the recommendation is to limit outdoor activities if smoke obscures visibility to between 3-5 miles. Thus far, this is not the case in most of Jefferson County.

Most areas immediately impacted by a wildfire will not have a real time Air Quality Index measurement. As a surrogate measure, visibility measures are used to determine levels of health concern, recommended actions to be taken to protect the health of the public, sensitive groups and individuals at risk. Jefferson County Public Health uses the same visibility column to assess air quality as is used by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. In most cases, residents can also use this visibility column to assess air quality in their area and take the necessary precautions:

Air Quality Category  (AQI)	24-Hr PM2.5  (µg/m)	1-Hr PM2.5  (µg/m)	Visibility  (miles)
Good	0.0 - 22.0	0.0 - 40.0	10 or more miles
Moderate	15.5 - 40.4	40.1 - 80.0	5-10 miles
Sensitive Groups	40.5 - 65.4	80.1 - 175.0	3-5 miles
Unhealthy	65.5 - 150.4	175.0 - 300.0	1.5 - 3 miles
Very Unhealthy	150.5 - 250.4	300.1 - 500.0	1 - 1.5 miles
Hazardous	≥250.5	≥500.1	≤1 mile

JCPH will update its recommendations if/when the situation changes on our website. See our home page for all the latest information.