Bushfire smoke, dust and your lungs.

Living in the Upper Hunter means living with air that is not always clear. Bushfire smoke can settle in the valley for days and sit there; hazard reduction burns arrive with less warning than people expect; and dust is a routine part of both agriculture and mining. On the worst days you can taste it.

Why fine particles matter

The health concern is not the visible haze so much as the fine particles suspended in it. The smallest fraction is small enough to travel past the body's usual defences and deep into the lungs, and some of it crosses into the bloodstream.

That is why the effects are not confined to the chest. Poor air quality irritates eyes, nose and throat, triggers asthma and COPD flare-ups, and also places strain on the heart — which is why people with existing heart disease are on the list of those who need to take it seriously.

Who feels it first

• People with asthma or COPD, or any chronic lung condition.
• People with heart disease.
• Children — smaller airways, faster breathing, more time outside.
• Older people.
• People who are pregnant.
• Anyone whose work keeps them outdoors for a full shift.

Healthy adults will generally get a sore throat, itchy eyes and a cough on a bad day and be fine afterwards. The groups above can move from uncomfortable to unwell considerably faster.

What actually helps

Indoors

Staying inside is the single most effective thing, provided the inside air is better than the outside air — which requires a bit of effort.

• Close windows and doors, and block obvious draughts.
• Run air conditioning on recirculate rather than drawing air in from outside.
• A portable HEPA air cleaner in the room you spend most time in makes a measurable difference. Size it to the room.
• Avoid adding to it indoors — no candles, no incense, no indoor smoking, and take care with frying.
• If your house cannot be sealed well, a few hours somewhere air-conditioned and well sealed is a legitimate strategy.

Masks

Cloth and surgical masks are designed for droplets, not fine particles, and they do very little here. A P2 or N95 respirator filters fine particles — but only if it seals against your face, which means no beard in the seal area and a proper fit.

P2 and N95 respirators are not manufactured to fit children, and a mask that does not seal does very little — for children, reducing time outdoors and cleaning the indoor air are the levers that work.

They also make breathing harder. If you have heart or lung disease, ask before relying on one, and if you feel dizzy or breathless in it, take it off and get out of the smoke instead.

If you have asthma or COPD

• Keep taking your preventer. Smoke season is exactly when people quietly stop.
• Carry your reliever, and know where the spacer is.
• Have a current written action plan, and read it before you need it. If yours is out of date, that is worth an appointment.
• Check your prescriptions are not about to run out during a bad stretch.

When to make an appointment

• A cough that has lasted more than three weeks.
• Breathlessness doing things you normally manage easily.
• Wheeze that keeps returning, or a reliever that is not holding as long as it used to.
• Any coughing of blood.
• Chest tightness or pain.
• Repeated chest infections.
• Years of dust exposure at work and no lung function testing on record — see what spirometry involves.

When it is an emergency

Severe breathlessness, difficulty speaking in full sentences, blue lips, chest pain, or an asthma attack that is not responding to your reliever — call 000.

On bad days, checking the air quality forecast before planning outdoor work is a reasonable habit, particularly if someone in the house is on the list above.

General information only. This article is general health information for anyone who finds it useful. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows you. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call us on (02) 6530 7404. Last reviewed 30 June 2026.