31.07.2025 23:57
The forest fires in Bursa have covered the city with a layer of smoke and ash. While the fog cloud decreases air quality, it also poses a threat to human health. In the last 5 days, there has been a 30% increase in the number of people seeking hospital care for respiratory issues. Chest Diseases Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Şimşek stated, "Especially in cases of acute and intense exposure, the risk of death increases by 5-8%."
The fires that broke out in the Kestel-Gürsu and Orhaneli-Harmancık districts of Bursa lasted for 5 days, covering the city with a layer of smoke and ash. While the fog cloud reduces air quality, it also threatens human health. In the last 5 days, there has been an increase in the number of people visiting hospitals with respiratory complaints, and experts emphasized that those with chronic diseases should wear masks.
"COUGH, PHLEGM, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, CHEST PAIN, RESPIRATORY DISTRESS MAY OCCUR" Stating that individuals may experience cough, phlegm, shortness of breath, chest pain, and respiratory distress due to particles such as carbon monoxide, cyanide, acid, and aldehyde in the smoke, Chest Diseases Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Şimşek said, "In much more intense exposures, confusion, which we call altered consciousness, and even death can occur in more advanced forms. Additionally, there are conditions that arise due to chronic exposure as a result of the accumulation of this smoke over the city. These situations mostly affect our patients with chronic diseases, such as COPD, emphysema, and asthma. These patients experience exacerbations, which we call attacks, with prolonged exposure to smoke, leading to increased shortness of breath and cough complaints, and even those who are still using medication may see a recurrence or worsening of their controlled symptoms."
Chest Diseases Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Şimşek "THEY NEED TO COVER THEIR NOSES WITH A MASK OR WET CLOTH OR TISSUE" Emphasizing that those with chronic respiratory diseases should not go outside without a mask, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şimşek said, "In this situation, we advise our citizens to stay as far away from smoke as possible, to avoid exposure, and if they must be outside, to use advanced protective masks known as N95, or at least to wear a mask. Additionally, to minimize exposure of the respiratory tract to smoke, we recommend covering their noses with materials such as wet cloths or tissues."
"THE RISK OF DEATH HAS INCREASED FOR CHRONIC PATIENTS" Pointing out that there are citizens who do not know they are chronic patients, Şimşek stated, "These individuals are also affected when exposed to smoke. Especially in acute and intense exposures, the risk of death increases. The mortality rate in these acute exposures ranges from 5-8%. This is because the smoke, which contains carbon monoxide, prevents the lungs from taking in oxygen, leading to death when the body is deprived of oxygen. This is particularly true for chronic patients living in this city. Since the smoke remains in the air for a certain period, the risk increases due to prolonged exposure."
"IF YOU HAVE COUGH, PHLEGM, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, OR CHEST PAIN, SEEK HOSPITAL CARE" Emphasizing that citizens should seek hospital care for any symptoms, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şimşek stated, "Citizens with chronic lung diseases, such as COPD, emphysema, and asthma, should seek immediate care from their chest diseases specialist if they experience an increase in cough, phlegm, shortness of breath, or chest pain after smoke exposure, or if they develop symptoms that were previously absent. If their symptoms are severe, they should go to the emergency department of hospitals as soon as possible for initial treatment. Because in these patients, we can add new medications in addition to their routine medications."
"THERE WAS A 30% INCREASE IN EMERGENCY VISITS" Stating that the air quality of the city has decreased following the forest fires in Gürsu-Kestel and Orhaneli-Harmancık, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şimşek said, "After exposure to smoke in such fires, there is a significant increase in visits to emergency rooms and outpatient clinics. Especially in chronic patients, due to exacerbations, which we call attacks, emergency visits are very frequent. Some of these are psychological, but really, after smoke exposure, lung complaints come to the forefront, and the number of emergency visits increases. There has been a 20-30% increase in the rate of hospital visits following air pollution."