Working outside in wildfire smoke is a real hazard, and unlike a workout you often can't just stop. Breathing fine particles can reduce lung function and worsen heart and lung conditions. Different states have different regulations, so check your local OSHA rules. For example, in California, employers must offer respirators like N95s once the PM2.5 AQI hits 151 and require them above 500.
Working outside in wildfire smoke carries real risk, and unlike a workout, you often can't just call it off. Breathing the fine particles in smoke can reduce lung function, worsen asthma and other heart and lung conditions, and bring on coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.
The harder and longer you work in it, the more of those particles you breathe in. Heavy labor in smoke pulls in far more than light work does in the same air.
Laws vary by state, and it's important to know them. So check with OSHA and your employer to see what the law is in your state. As an example, in California, the law puts numbers on it. Once the PM2.5 AQI hits 151, employers must offer respirators such as N95s for voluntary use, and above 500 they must require them. Other states may not have a rule like it, so it's worth knowing your own workplace's smoke plan before a bad-air day.
If you wear one, it's the fit that counts. A respirator only helps when it seals to your face, and it filters particles, not the gases in smoke. So learn the day's AQI, get a well-fitting N95 or better, take your breaks in cleaner air, and speak up when the smoke makes it hard to breathe.
Sources
- [1] Protecting Outdoor Workers Exposed to Smoke from Wildfires (Cal/OSHA). Accessed August 7, 2026. https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/wildfire/worker-protection-from-wildfire-smoke.html
- [2] Patient Exposure and the Air Quality Index. Accessed August 7, 2026. https://www.epa.gov/pmcourse/patient-exposure-and-air-quality-index
- [3] U.S. EPA / USFS / CDC / CAPCOA / NPS / CARB. Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Health Officials (Revised 2026). June 2026. Accessed August 6, 2026. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2026-06/wildfire-guide-for-public-health-officials-2026.pdf
- [4] NIOSH / CDC. How to Protect Workers and the Public from Wildfire Smoke (NIOSH Science Bulletin). January 2025. Accessed August 6, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/bulletin/2025/wildfire-smoke.html
About the author
Dr. Colin Little
MD, FAWM, Chief Medical Officer, GOES Health
- Board Certified Emergency Physician
- Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM)
- Wilderness Medicine Fellowship, University of Utah
- Emergency Medicine Residency and Chief Resident, Stanford / Kaiser
- Doctor of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix