Bernadette Salazar wore a turquoise-colored mask over her mouth and nose Monday as she hustled to deliver documents near the 1st Judicial District courthouse in downtown Santa Fe. The 47-year-old courier said her work often requires her to walk very fast and breathe very hard, and she hoped the mask would lessen the wheezing she's experiencing from the smoke and ash in the air.

But Heidi Krapfl, chief of the Department of Health's Environmental Health Epidemiology Bureau, said simple paper masks won't help. Krapfl said the particles in the smoke are too small to be filtered out using a bandana, tissue or paper mask. And while the big pieces of ash coming down may look scary, they are so heavy and falling so quickly, the chances of breathing them in are low.

Certain types of respirators — those marked NIOSH and either N95 or P100 — do have the right filters to protect lungs from smoke. But, Krapfl said, people with heart or lung disease should consult a doctor before using such devices because they could make symptoms worse.

"People shouldn't just be running out and getting masks willy-nilly," she said. "They should first look at things such as visibility and pre-existing conditions."

Besides monitors, Krapfl said, visibility is the best way of estimating air quality and determining if it is safe to be outside.

To use this method, face away from the sun, look for a target at a known distance (such as a building, mountain or other geographical landmark) then estimate the visibility in miles using that landmark as a measurement. Visible range is the point at which even high-contrast objects totally disappear, according to guidelines put out by the department.

According to the state Environment Department, if visibility is 10 miles or more, the air quality is good. If visibility is six to nine miles, air quality is moderate; at three to five miles, air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups; at one and a half to two and a half miles, air quality is unhealthy; at one to one and a quarter miles, air quality is very unhealthy; and at one mile or less, air quality is hazardous.

In areas of poor visibility, defined as three to five miles, people with heart or lung disease, the elderly, children and pregnant women are advised to avoid physical exertion and stay indoors as much as possible.

Krapfl said healthy people exposed to the smoke from the fires can expect irritated eyes, nose and throat, but anyone who experiences more serve problems, including wheezing, shortness of breath and coughing, should see a doctor.

People who have asthma, lung diseases or heart disease should see their health care providers if their breathing difficulties don't respond to their normal medications, she said.

The New Mexico Environment Department has advised people to avoid using swamp coolers when smoke levels are higher than usual.

Krapfl said portable swamp coolers, which cool and recirculate the air already inside the house, are a good alternative.

The Environment Department also recommends using high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filters on air conditioners to reduce breathing problems.

Krapfl said the danger associated with smoke from forest fires is similar to the risks associated with cigarette smoke.

"It can eventually damage the body's ability to remove large particles and phlegm from the lungs," she said. Healthy lungs have a great ability to clean themselves, "provided there is time for them to recover."

For more information on air quality, smoke forecasts and health risks associated with breathing smoke, visit www.nmenv.state.nm.us/aqb/WildfireSmokeResources.htm.

Contact Phaedra Haywood at 986-3068 or phaywood@sfnewmexican.com.