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Is your asthma triggered by wood smoke?

Posted by ghysla @ghysla, Jun 10 5:03pm

I don’t know if it qualifies as an allergen, but I get severe headaches and my asthma is triggered if I am near not only a fire, but a fireplace or wood stove that isn’t being used or hasn’t been in a while. At first I thought it was maybe a fungus on the wood that was being released, but how could it be everywhere? Is it just the smoke? Who else has this reaction?

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pweg | @pweg | Jun 11 2:40pm
In reply to @lisalucier "Tagging some members from different groups around Mayo Clinic Connect who may have some experiences with..." + (show)
Profile picture for Lisa Lucier, Moderator @lisalucier

Tagging some members from different groups around Mayo Clinic Connect who may have some experiences with reactions to wood smoke or who may have done some research on this that they can share with you, @ghysla: @dinis @spectrumcyclist @vcs @kkubsky @pled @scoop @pweg.

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@lisalucier
I had significant wildfire smoke exposure in California- one of the factors in moving to the Great Lakes area. My pulmonologist believes this was the source of my MAI infection.

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ghysla | @ghysla | Jun 11 2:43pm
In reply to @scoop "Being around a camp fire, bonfire, or fire pit burning wood sets off my asthma. I..." + (show)
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Being around a camp fire, bonfire, or fire pit burning wood sets off my asthma. I have trouble breathing and start coughing. The smoke leaves me reaching for my inhaler. I think it has to do with the particulate matter released as wood burning is quite polluting. That said, we've installed a gas insert into our old wood burning fireplace and I have zero reaction. Thank goodness because now I couldn't live without it!

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@scoop
I’m glad that has worked for you and you can now enjoy your fireplace again 😊

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ghysla | @ghysla | Jun 11 2:47pm
In reply to @heisenberg34 "I don't see anyone here stating that they have been tested in order to get a..." + (show)
Profile picture for heisenberg34 @heisenberg34

I don't see anyone here stating that they have been tested in order to get a specific diagnosis for the various allergens. A competent doctor who specializes in allergies might be an excellent route to take. Just saying.

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@heisenberg34 I did general allergy testing but my insurance wouldn’t cover anything more in depth, not even for food allergies.
I at least keep track of my reactions and what caused them but more testing should be covered as these can possibly be life threatening situations

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heisenberg34 | @heisenberg34 | Jun 11 3:55pm
In reply to @ghysla "@heisenberg34 I did general allergy testing but my insurance wouldn’t cover anything more in depth, not..." + (show)
Profile picture for ghysla @ghysla

@heisenberg34 I did general allergy testing but my insurance wouldn’t cover anything more in depth, not even for food allergies.
I at least keep track of my reactions and what caused them but more testing should be covered as these can possibly be life threatening situations

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@ghysla Yes, insurance should cover this. I wish you well.

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jc76 | @jc76 | Jun 11 5:12pm
In reply to @ghysla "@jc76 Good to hear I’m not the only one with hypersensitivity to smells. I can smell..." + (show)
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@jc76
Good to hear I’m not the only one with hypersensitivity to smells. I can smell a cigarette or fire pit from a block away it seems. I have walked out of small stores of another customer reeked of cigarettes. I am a former smoker and was hypnotized to quit so that compounds my reaction to the cancer stick. The woodsmoke though is devastating. The horrific migraine and affect on my breathing even if the fireplace hasn’t been used in a year is enough to make me sit out of family vacations.

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@ghysla
Never smoke but parents were chain smokers. I know when my mother would pick up up in the car she would be smoking and the entire car full of smoke. I would start coughing and she says "don't like it get out and walk." So I would and walks miles to my home.

I don't think anyone knows how irritating smoke of any kind is to those sensitive to smoke. The American Cancer Society states that "there is no safe level of second hand smoke." And unless you are smoking it is all second hand smoke.

I have gone through many allergy testing but I think smoke is an irritant that is unhealthy for anyone to breath.

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Lisa Lucier, Moderator | @lisalucier | Jun 25 10:03am
In reply to @ghysla "@sueinmn I’m happy to hear you can still enjoy an outside fire. I miss that the..." + (show)
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@sueinmn
I’m happy to hear you can still enjoy an outside fire. I miss that the most. Nothing like a fire at night on a chilly fall evening or waking up early and having coffee by the fire alone while the rest of the world still slumbers
Thank you for that information it’s very helpful 🙂

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@ghysla - have any alternative types of outside fireplaces worked for you?

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ghysla | @ghysla | Jun 25 4:53pm
In reply to @lisalucier "@ghysla - have any alternative types of outside fireplaces worked for you?" + (show)
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@ghysla - have any alternative types of outside fireplaces worked for you?

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@lisalucier not anything that burns wood. I’ve been ok with gas ones that are mainly decorative though

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ailsas | @ailsas | Jun 26 7:38pm

Wood smoke contains phenolic including formaldehyde so those and the particulate matters are all irritants.

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ghysla | @ghysla | Jun 27 8:30am
In reply to @ailsas "Wood smoke contains phenolic including formaldehyde so those and the particulate matters are all irritants." + (show)
Profile picture for ailsas @ailsas

Wood smoke contains phenolic including formaldehyde so those and the particulate matters are all irritants.

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@ailsas thank you for that info

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jc76 | @jc76 | Jun 28 3:17pm

This is a sore subject with me. The outside burning of anything. I live in a growing community and the developers' instead of mulching tress cut down they burn them. It creates clouds of smoke that travel for miles.

I have tried to get county commissioners to stop this but they refer me Florida Forestry who issue the applications to burn. One county close to us prohibits outside burning by developers and thus my contact to commissioners to act on it.

I suffer just from being around someone who smokes. My sinuses burn, throat get sore and I cough. You can imagine how I feel with the air full of heavy smoke.

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