POTENT AIR CHOKES SOUTHLAND HEALTH OFFICIALS WARN OF EFFECTS FROM SMOKE.

Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer

With Southern California skies filled with thick smoke and soot from the wildfires, even healthy people were being warned on Monday to skip outdoor exercise and stay inside.

Invisible particles produced by the wildfires penetrate the lungs, enter the bloodstream and are known to worsen symptoms for people with breathing and heart problems, said Dr. Henry Gong, a spokesman for the American Lung Association of California.

``Even for a healthy person, certainly the irritation in the airways may be enough for a person to feel like they have chest pain or chest irritation or shortness of breath,'' said Gong, who is also a professor of medicine at the University of Southern California.

The particles - 30 times thinner than a human hair - can linger in the air for days and can travel great distances with the strong Santa Ana winds, said Suzanne Paulson, an associate professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Children, the elderly and people with asthma, allergies and heart disease suffer the most from inhaling the dirty air.

Since Friday, Ventura County's air has been unhealthy for everyone, and officials have urged schools and athletic leagues to cancel games.

``We're telling people if they see smoke or smell smoke they should keep the kids inside with windows and doors closed,'' said Mike Villegas, executive officer with the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District in Oxnard, where the smell of smoke has even infiltrated the office buildings.

Further inland, South Coast Air Quality Management District officials said San Fernando Valley air was unhealthy for sensitive groups.

But even people suffering from fall colds could be struggling for a deep breath or feeling that uncomfortable tickle in the throat, health experts said Monday.

The nose and upper airways are filters, but the thick, dirty, smoky air overwhelms those natural barriers that protect the lungs, said Dr. Marc Kerner, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Northridge Hospital.

Then more particulate matter gets into the lungs. Young, healthy people with a good pair of lungs can clear out the grit. People with allergies, asthma, bronchitis or even a common cold can't.

``They don't have the lung capacity reserve to handle the extra particular matter that stimulates the immune system and sets off a cascade of wheezing,'' Kerner said.

Kerner recommends that people with respiratory problems say inside and don't exercise until the smoke has cleared.

The American Lung Association of California suggests that people suffering from the smoke keep windows, doors and fireplace dampers shut. They should use clean filters on ventilation systems and, if possible, keep air conditioners on the recirculation setting so smoky air outside doesn't move inside.

If you must go outside, breathe through a damp cloth to filter out particles.

While most regions suffered with particulate matter pollution over the weekend, West Los Angeles exceeded the national smog health standard Sunday for the first time in many years. The Santa Ana winds switched the direction of air flow and blew all the pollutants from downtown Los Angeles and inland out to the normally blue-sky coastal region, causing an unusual spike in ozone, the main ingredient in smog.

Kerry Cavanaugh, [phone]

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com

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Smoke billows Monday from the Simi Valley Fire in Browns Canyon, contributing to unhealthy air.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News