As heatwaves intensify and smog levels climb, emergency medical systems show a predictable pattern of more 911 calls for respiratory distress, chest pain and heat-related illness. The interaction between poor air quality and extreme temperatures strains human physiology, especially among vulnerable groups. What can you do when the air you breathe turns dangerous?
What You’re Breathing and How It Affects You
Air isn’t just oxygen. It’s a complex mix of gases, particles and pollutants that shift weather, geography and human activities. Understanding what’s in the air you breathe is the first step toward protecting your lungs and overall health.
Heat and Pollution Impact Health
Respiratory illnesses are rising alongside worsening air quality across the United States. Researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences are studying whether short-term environmental exposures, including pollution and temperature spikes, directly drive 911 call increases due to poor respiratory and overall health triggers. The team’s work tracks data on pollutants like fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ozone and nitrogen dioxide with daily temperature variations, urban infrastructure and call volumes between 2017 and 2023.
Early findings correlate that high-pollution days with extreme temperatures consistently result in more emergency calls due to respiratory and cardiovascular emergencies. The EPA and American Lung Association support findings that air quality is compromised and that a nationwide average of 130 million Americans live in areas with unhealthy or dangerous conditions.
People who experience asthma, chronic bronchitis or heart disease are especially vulnerable when pollution coincides with heat waves. Rising temperatures and pollution from various sources, including wildfire smoke, combine to amp each other up, sending thousands of gasping Americans calling for help each summer.
Causes of Pollution
Air pollution rarely has one single source. Instead, it’s the sum of small, persistent contributors, unless you’re dealing with a catastrophic event like the recent California wildfires. Vehicle exhaust fumes, industrial emissions, construction dust and even domestic activities like cooking and cleaning release fine particles into the atmosphere.
As global temperatures climb, these pollutants linger longer and interact more intensely. Higher temperatures accelerate the formation of ground-level ozone, which traps particulate matter near the surface and worsens respiratory irritation.
Worldwide, urban centers like Milan, Italy, match U.S. cities’ examples of how the built environment is vulnerable to high temperatures due to heat-retaining construction materials and limited airflow, risking city dwellers’ continued health.
How High Heat Impacts Emergency Services
Researchers recently examined how temperature and pollution interact to overwhelm the emergency services in New York City. The study used indoor temperature sensors to track conditions and matched these to ER calls and paramedic visits. Indoor heat exposure above 28℃ saw an increased cardiovascular distress call rate over cooler days. Temperature-triggered strain may first show as heart-related calls before respiratory symptoms escalate.
Residents in poorly ventilated or non-air-conditioned spaces faced a higher risk of medical emergencies during heat waves. The evidence continues to grow that hot weather and poor air quality can converge to push human and emergency systems to their limits.
Signs Air Quality Is Harming Your Lungs
Watch for these early indicators that your lungs or cardiovascular system are struggling under environmental stress. You may experience the following:
- Persistent coughing, wheezing or chest tightness
- Shortness of breath during light activity
- Increased mucus or congestion
- Frequent dizziness, fatigue or confusion during heat waves
- Rapid heartbeat or irregular pulse
- Chest pain
- Bluish lips
If any of these symptoms intensify or you struggle to breathe, call 911 immediately. Early intervention prevents complications and saves lives when air quality and heat combine to threaten your health.
5 Ways to Protect Your Health in a Polluted World
Air pollution and extreme heat aren’t entirely avoidable, but you can limit their impact. Protecting your lungs starts with awareness, knowing when conditions are unsafe, recognizing early warning signs and building habits that strengthen your body’s natural defenses.
1. Monitor Air Quality and Use the Numbers
The Air Quality Index (AQI) converts pollutant concentrations into a single, easy-to-read number, ranging from zero to 500. The higher the number, the greater the health concerns. Readings above 100 are unhealthy for sensitive groups like children, seniors or those with asthma. When the number exceeds 150, the quality becomes hazardous for everyone.
For instance, the infamous Eaton Fire in 2025 tracked at over 300 on the AQI, with levels remaining higher than 225 despite increased distance from the fire. The air quality index tracks five pollutants — particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen and sulfur dioxides and carbon monoxide.
The readings of thousands of particulate and pollution monitoring stations nationwide provide data to the EPA’s AirNow platform. This platform lets you see your area’s current and predicted AQI, helping you make informed decisions about whether to travel, engage in outdoor activities or remain indoors.
2. Avoid Straining Emergency Systems
As environmental conditions worsen, emergency infrastructure must stretch to keep up. During major warm weather events, emergency departments often overflow, ambulances line up outside hospitals and cooling systems inside facilities struggle to keep equipment functional. Diagnostic devices become overworked, reducing the turnover time in the ER and worsening logistics further.
Some hospitals turn to portable ultrasound technology, which allows clinicians to perform imaging at the bedside or even in the field with battery-powered devices to limit queueing for traditional imaging. This enables better triage decision-making. Compact systems deliver transesophageal echocardiogram imaging and contrast-enhanced ultrasounds, which help diagnose respiratory distress more effectively.
Advanced technologies minimize the risk of infection by reducing the need to move patients between departments. They can also help paramedics better decide whether to take patients to already-crowded ERs or treat them at their homes for overheating and respiratory distress. Portable diagnostics can help emergency services be less overwhelmed during a heat wave. Contribute by treating overheating and poor air quality at home. Keep ice on hand to alleviate heat and use interventions to manage these triggers.
3. Prepare for Emergencies
When the air thickens and temperatures rise, hospitals immediately see the consequences. Polluted and overheated environments inflame airways, reduce oxygen uptake and increase strain on the heart, lungs and blood vessels.
High particulate rates are directly associated with increased emergency calls for pediatric and geriatric respiratory distress. The combination of heat and pollution amplifies stress in the body, triggering inflammation and increasing the likelihood of preexisting conditions like asthma to flare. When heat and pollution levels are high, prepare the most vulnerable to avoid emergencies.
Scientists predict an increase in future high-hazard days when the combination of intense ambient heat and pollution interacts to lethal effect as global climate changes raise average temperatures. More people may begin experiencing symptoms and adverse health effects as they struggle to breathe, faint and develop chest pains from thickened blood and compromised circulation.
4. Strengthen Lung Function for Poor Air Days
Resilience begins with prevention. Regular aerobic activities improve lung capacity and cardiovascular efficiency, helping the body adapt to moderate environmental stress. When air quality is poor, indoor exercise like yoga, resistance training or stationary cycling provides a safe way to practice your lungs.
The production of free radicals increases when facing environmental pollution, which causes oxidative stress, leading to cellular damage in the body’s systems. To protect the body and reverse the damage caused by inflammation, you can follow a healthy diet with fruits and vegetables that contain natural antioxidants like vitamins C and E.
You can further support your respiratory health with breathwork exercises like the box-breathing and pursed-lip techniques that improve oxygen exchange and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, stabilizing your heart rate and blood pressure.
Regular breathing exercises can improve blood vessel flexibility, giving the body a better buffer during high heat or extreme pollution days. Pairing these routines with adequate sleep, hydration and stress management helps reduce cellular stress and maintain a balanced and more resilient body system.
5. Stay Safe When the Air Turns Dangerous
Protecting yourself and your loved ones from respiratory pollutants and overheating begins at home. When air quality alerts increase above safe thresholds, keep your home’s windows closed and run your HVAC system on recirculation mode to prevent outdoor pollutants from entering.
A high-efficiency particulate filter or an activated-carbon purifier can dramatically reduce indoor particle concentrations. Avoid adding particulate matter from candles or smoking indoors and designate a “clean room” for the most vulnerable family members.
If you must go outside during poor air days or wildfire events, plan activities early in the morning or later in the evening when ozone levels tend to drop. Wearing an N95 mask can block most fine particles and staying hydrated helps offset heat-induced dehydration. Following a doctor’s action plan and keeping rescue medication nearby is critical for those with chronic respiratory conditions.
While it may seem like small choices, timing outdoor activity, using filters and monitoring the AQI can make a difference between a mild discomfort and an emergency call.
Smarter Living in a Warming, Polluted World
Heat waves and pollution are two sides of the challenge facing your body and the health systems that support you. Solutions start with awareness. By tracking daily AQI levels, adjusting your habits and supporting cleaner energy and transportation policies, you contribute to a healthier environment. Cities like Milan lead the way with low-emission zones and strict vehicle restrictions to cut smog, and similar strategies are emerging across the U.S.
Healthcare innovations, like portable imaging technology, enable better emergency response management and provide a glimpse into how future-ready providers respond to challenges. While you may not control the climate, you can decide how you prepare to survive it.
Pay attention to AQI warnings, strengthen your health and lungs with exercise and nutrition choices and care about those around you to ensure you or your loved ones stay out of the emergency line when the next heat wave hits.