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Wood smoke
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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Hi, @ghysla, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.
I personally have the same reaction, so I had to tell my husband I don't want to build a fire pit in our current home like we had in a previous one. We will need a smokeless device, if we do that.
It took years to figure out I had this allergy/reaction to smoke from a fire pit, probably cause I didn't want to be at friends' homes, camping, etc.
How is your asthma triggered with wood smoke? What type of head pain do you get with it, and does it last long?
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2 Reactions@ghysla, Yes, there can be fungus on wood, as well mold, but it is usually the aromatics (oils) in wood and the particulates in the smoke that trigger reactions in my very allergic family. The exception was back when we heated with wood, and my daughter and I would react to the mold on the oak sitting in the woodbox beside the stove.
I am fortunate to tolerate most outdoor fires unless the air is heavy, holding the smoke down, or if the wind blows smoke in my face. We use a Mexican chimney on the patio - it has an enclosed firepit and the chimney on top directs the smoke upwards. And we don't burn oak
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