© 2002
The Nugget Newspaper
Sisters, Oregon
All rights reserved

Send us an email

Display Advertising

The contents of the on-line edition of The Nugget represent a selection among the stories that appear in the weekly print edition.

Living with fire season smoke
By Jim Cornelius

Folks in Sisters have been living with smoky air since the middle of July when the Eyerly fire blew up, sending a smoke cloud 30,000 feet in the air, only to settle over the flatlands for days afterward.

More fires have created more smoke.

The good news is that, while irritating, the smoke won't cause an otherwise healthy person much harm.

"It's more nuisance symptoms, annoyance symptoms, not dangerous or serious," said Dr. May Fan of Bend Memorial Clinic.

For red, itchy eyes, pharmacist Tim Muir of Sisters Drug Company says that frequent use of a good, over-the-counter eye wash will provide relief.

Dr. Fan said a saline nasal spray will relieve irritated nasal passages.

The smoky air is a much more serious matter for people who already suffer from respiratory problems such as asthma or emphysema.

"We've had a significant increase in patients with difficulty breathing," Muir said.

Besides using whatever medication they need, people with respiratory problems should stay indoors, close up the house and keep the smoke out.

That's actually good advice for everyone else, too, according to Muir and Dr. Fan. They recommend keeping outdoor activities to a minimum until the smoke clears away.

"Normally we try to get people (out) to exercise," Dr.Fan said. "Right now, stay indoors."

Muir acknowledged that that is a tough prescription to follow in the middle of an otherwise beautiful Central Oregon summer.

"We're having to change our lifestyles to match what's going on in our environment," he said. "That's not something we like to do."

Back to front page