Are you aware of the danger of inhaling smoke and soot?
If you are aware of the chemistry of smoke, you must know that smoke comprises carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter, also known as soot. But, it doesn’t stop just there. Smoke also contains chemicals like metals, dioxins, sulfur dioxide, benzene, acid gases, aldehydes, and styrene. To keep yourself safe, it is better to avoid smoke exposure at all costs.
Harmful Effects of Smoke Inhalation
Inhaling smoke for a short period can have immediate effects upon your health. Exposure to smoke can make your eyes runny, your throat itchy, and can even make you feel nauseous. Inhalation of carbon monoxide harms the oxygen supply in your body. You can even experience disturbed alertness, severe headaches, and a weird heart condition known as angina.
The best way to protect yourself is to avoid smoke altogether. If you are too vulnerable to smoke, make sure to discuss your condition with your local physician.
If your home or office has recently been through a fire accident, try to stay outside, until smoke cleanup has been carried out. Hiring a professional fire restoration company like ours is the best way to get smoke and soot out of your house, and make it livable again.
Symptoms of Smoke Inhalation
The symptoms of smoke exposure depend on two factors. Number one is the source of smoke, and secondly, it’s the duration of your smoke exposure. Some of the most common symptoms of smoke exposure are mentioned below.
- Sooty enters your throat and nostrils
- Passing out
- Nausea, headache, and abdominal pain
- Sight issues and eye irritation
- Sore throat and cough
- Bloody coughing and chest pain
- Troubled breathing
Dangers of Exposure to Soot 
Sometimes during a fire accident, wood, plastic, and oil are partially burned. As a result, they produce a black particulate substance known as soot. Soot is extremely dangerous to your health, as it comprises of carbon, dust, metals, soils, and acids. After a fire accident, soot can become a serious problem and results in soot contamination, which is very hard to clean up.
Soot affects the quality of indoor air. It also happens in households, where candles are excessively used. Soot is also a product of insufficient ventilation in the fireplace. Soot inhalation can result in asthma, bronchitis, coronary heart diseases and several respiratory issues. Soot must be cleaned away by professionals, and homeowners must never set out to clean it on their own.
Studies have shown that soot exposure kills more than 20,000 every year in the US. In similar studies, it was found that more than 300,000 cases of asthma are reported every year, because of soot exposure.
Soot Exposure Symptoms
Let’s discuss some of the most common symptoms of soot exposure.
- Watery eyes and runny nose
- Poor immune symptoms
- Respiratory problems
- Heart diseases
