California Wildfires Hammer Asthma Sufferers, but Symptoms Can Be Mitigated

California wildfires have consumed the state this summer, burning more than a thousand square miles and lowering the air quality for residents, a reality that acutely affects those with asthma, experts say. In Northern California, the ongoing Park fire is now about 670 square miles and is just 38 percent contained, according to officials. It is just one of the nearly 5,000 wildfires in California this year, according to Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service. The resulting smoke pollution is potentially dangerous for some, a risk that has risen after repeated summers of fires. “Californians have really grown accustomed to the significant challenges posed by wildfire smoke just in the past several years,” said William Barnett, the senior director for nationwide clean air advocacy for the American Lung Association....