SYDNEY, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Large parts of Australia, including major cities Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra have spent the better part of this summer suffocated by thick smoke from bushfires raging on the country's east coast.
The problem has gotten so bad that health organization Asthma Australia believes there is a pressing need to establish a clearer air quality reporting system, to help Australians avoid health complications associated with breathing the smoke.
Asthma Australia chief executive Michele Goldman told Xinhua on Thursday that there have so far been at least two asthma-related deaths as a result of exposure to the bushfire smoke, although that the number might be higher.
"For people with asthma it exacerbates symptoms so it can cause them to be breathless and wheezy, or worse, it can bring on an asthma attack that can require hospitalization and in some cases be life threatening," Goldman said.
Particulate matter from the smoke is also so fine that it can enter the bloodstream causing complications for those with cardiovascular disease. Even in otherwise healthy people exposure to the smoke can lead to headaches, dizziness, and eye and throat irritation.
In many states of Australia, air quality is reported as a 24-hour average, which Goldman says is fine for measuring vehicle emissions and alike, but is inadequate for rapidly changing bushfire smoke conditions.
"It's averaging over 24 hours so you're not seeing the extremes and it's the extremes that are important and useful to people to make decisions about daily life activities," she said.
Goldman explained that people want to know, "is this a time where conditions are ok for me to go and do the shopping or to take my children to the park? Or to go to work if I have a job outdoors."
With instances of extreme weather events predicted to worsen over coming decades Goldman says that now is the time to reevaluate the existing approach.
Long term hazardous air quality is a brand new concern for Australia, but Goldman says there is significant worry within the community and a desire for change.
"Never before have we had a time where the intensity of the smoke and duration for which people have been exposed has been so long, so this is unprecedented."
