How to Keep Children Safe from Wildfire Smoke

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia is grappling with weeks-long blazes across Kalimantan and Sumatra, sending toxic haze and smoke across the sea into swathes of Southeast Asia. 

In worst-hit regions like Malaysia's Sarawak and some parts of the Kalimantan province in Indonesia, air quality crossed the "hazardous" level. In Pontianak, West Kalimantan, for example, readings from IQAir's Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 581, while worse air is recorded in East Kotawaringin in Central Kalimantan with AQI reading 681. 

Wildfires and the subsequent haze have also been linked to surging respiratory infections across the region, with the Indonesian Ministry of Health reporting over 50,000 cases between July and August. Over 12,000 of those affected are children under the age of five, according to the BBC.

Meanwhile, The Straits Times reported a 259 percent surge in asthma cases across Malaysia, as the country chokes on smoke and haze wafting from neighboring Indonesia. 

Forest fires continue to rage across Indonesia, as El Nino-fueled dryness persists. Long-term exposure to haze poses far-reaching health risks to anyone in its path, especially to children. 

How wildfire smoke affects children's health

Wildfire smoke contains dirt, dust, soot, and something called PM2.5—a fine particulate matter 30 times smaller than a single strand of hair. It is especially dangerous to your health, as the microscopic size means it can fester in your lungs and enter the bloodstream. 

Citing CBC, PM2.5 exposure could cause a list of short-term and long-term health effects, including irritation, shortness of breath, reduced lung functions, or prolonged heart and lung conditions. Wildfire smoke is also linked to mental health conditions and serious illnesses like cancer.

Children are among the most vulnerable to toxic haze—alongside the elderly, pregnant women, and people with heart disease or asthma—due to their developing immune systems and lungs. In infants, this could mean early diabetes, low birth weight, birth defects, and death.

As children grow more active and spend more time outdoors, wildfire smoke increases the risk of respiratory diseases and asthma, hypertension, obesity, lower brain function, and a weaker immune system. Children are also more vulnerable to experiencing stress and mental health effects from the disasters around them.

Signs of smoke exposure in children 

The UN agency for children, UNICEF, listed physical symptoms in children who breathe in smoke and haze from wildfires:

• Chest pain and tightness
• Trouble breathing
• Wheezing
• Coughing
• Burning or irritation in the nose, throat and eyes
• Dizziness

The agency also advises parents and caregivers to take children who experience breathing problems, difficulty in falling asleep, or other noticeable health problems to the closest health facility.

How to protect children from wildfire smoke

Climate change exacerbates the range and impact of wildfires, making preparations before the first fire broke out all the more important. UNICEF advises parents and caregivers to sit children down and talk with them about the risks of wildfires in an age-appropriate way. 

Families are also advised to create an "emergency kit" to take if wildfires force them to evacuate. The kit could include non-perishable foods, medicines, cash, a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, N95/KN95 masks, flashlight, radio, batteries, water, and copies of important documents. An emergency evacuation plan, at home and at the children's schools, must also be available prior to the wildfires.

What to do during a wildfire?

Evacuation is advisable if authorities call for it, but if not, stay at home and reduce outdoors activities as much as possible. Keep the doors and windows locked at all times. UNICEF also advises limiting physical activity and keeping children hydrated. 

Adults are generally more attuned to their own needs, unlike children. Thus, it is advisable to check in with kids nearby and ask how they are dealing with the smoke. "Do they have a headache? Are they kind of breathing a little bit heavier?" said Stephanie Cleland, a research scientist at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute Centre for Lung Health, as quoted from CBC.

While outdoor activities are generally inadvisable during wildfire or haze conditions, UNICEF advises children—and everybody else—to mask up using N95/KN95 masks. But it is important to make sure the mask fits properly, fully covering the nose, mouth, and chin, without letting in air escape from the edges. Children are not advised to wear masks if they cause breathing difficulty.

Keep the air indoors clean

To reduce smoke exposure indoors, it is imperative to keep your doors, windows, and any gaps sealed. CBC cites wet towels as an easily available tool to fill in those gaps. Portable air-cleaning devices could also be used to limit smoke from filling the house. But it is also important to keep the temperatures inside cool, so if possible, turn on air conditioners, fans, or heat pumps.

Avoid activities that may result in more pollution, including smoking, burning waste, sweeping and vacuuming dust, frying foods, or cleaning with chemicals.

Read: Wildfires Burn 60% of Bornean Orangutan Habitat

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