Wildfires causing concerns for Houston's area air quality

HOUSTON - As the deadly fire forces evacuations and destroys homes in North Texas, the air quality remains a concern for those in the Houston area.

"Especially a few hours after the event. Just like now, we see in Houston that everything is clear. You can still have poor air quality, but just not see it," said Dr. Sami Hossri, who is a critical care pulmonologist with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

RELATED: People evacuated, homes destroyed by wildfires in Eastland County

He says you may not see it, but the particles from the wildfire travel down and can cause havoc for those with previous lung disease.

"These irritants might cause airway inflammation. It might trigger an attack, so those are the people that need to be more careful," he said. "You need to have an asthma or COPD action plan. You need to sit down with your physician to make sure you have a plan moving forward if you were not able to prevent having an attack, what you can do if you do have an attack. A lot of times the physician will say, you need to take two puffs of this inhaler or three puffs, and at what time you should seek emergency medical help. That’s the most important thing."

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