Thick haze leads to respiratory problems

Thursday, Aug. 15, 2002 | 9:30 a.m.

The number of new patients complaining of burning eyes and lungs, scratchy throats and runny noses has doubled at Pulmonary Associates offices this week.

It's because an August haze that has settled over the Las Vegas Valley is turning ordinary people into respiratory patients, nurse Kanitra Shirley said Wednesday.

The white to light brown cloud that nearly obscures the mountains is a combination of ozone from automobile exhaust, dust and forest fire smoke.

"We've been seeing a lot more new patients," Shirley said. A normal day brings four or five people to one of the group's four offices at this time of year. This week the number each day reaches nine or 10, she said.

Elderly people have been complaining of more breathing problems as well, Shirley said.

The Clark County Department of Air Quality Management issued an advisory on Wednesday for people who are sensitive to pollutants or dust. They should limit the amount of time they spend on outdoor activities to avoid breathing problems as ozone and dust continue hanging in the air, the advisory said.

The reason the haze hangs over the valley is the weather pattern, National Weather Service meteorologist Charlie Schlott said.

High pressure has put a lid on winds or storms that could clean the atmosphere until at least next week, Schlott said. And then, only more wind is expected, not rain. The heat and stagnant air combine to make the pollution cloud.

At University Medical Center, emergency room doctors haven't seen an increase in respiratory cases yet, spokesman Rick Plummer said.

But that may change if the stagnant air continues, he said.

"We'll see an aftershock if the air quality continues for several days, gets worse or if there's smoke in the air," Plummer said.

Last month more patients sought help as the Lost Cabin fire burned in the Spring Mountains 25 miles southwest of Las Vegas, Plummer said. On top of the local wildland fire, smoke rode a flow of Southwest monsoonal air drifting into the valley from the southeast, where Arizona forest fires burned, he said.