The Health Risks of Poor Air Quality in Fort Collins
Fort Collins has had a lot of recent issues with wildfire smoke affecting the quality of the air. With a variety of health problems that the smoke can cause, it has many people, including myself, wondering what more could be done to prevent the smoke that puts the people of Fort Collins at a number of health risks.
In September of 2020, Colorado had experienced three of the worst wildfires in state history, not to mention they all occurred in the same year. The most alarming part about the fires was the accumulation of smoke spreading wide across the Fort Collins atmosphere. With all of this happening during the spread of Covid-19, the health risks of the smoke were much worse for everyone in Fort Collins. Many people were encouraged to stay inside and avoid the bad air quality as much as they could.
Unfortunately for my friend Jacob Pendergast, he was unable to avoid the effects of the smoke. In October, 2020, Jacob was hospitalized due to his inability to breathe. Jacob said “I always took care of myself and considered myself a healthy person. But when I went to the hospital I realized that the smoke can affect anyone exposed to it.” As someone who is close to Jacob, it was hard to see something like that happen to him, especially knowing how conscious he is about his health. Jacob also mentioned “It was something that I didn’t really think about. I think it would have turned out differently if I knew more about the effects.” After talking to Jacob, it allowed me to realize how serious the health risks involved with the smoke can be.
Recently, smoke migrating from the second largest fire in California has had major consequences on the air quality in Fort Collins, and it seems that this is becoming more of a common occurrence within the local area, which is why it is becoming very important to be aware of the effects that the smoke can have on your health. Although the spread of the smoke can be highly unavoidable, more awareness needs to be made about the effects of the smoke and what can be done to remain safe under these conditions. Luckily, there are a few things that people in Fort Collins should know about to help avoid the poor air quality.
Overall, I believe it is extremely important to know how to deal with poor air quality, because many people like Jacob experience health complications that they could have potentially avoided with the correct knowledge.
