One of the most important (and often overlooked) ways to support your body during smoke events is simply staying well hydrated. Your airways are lined with microscopic cilia that continuously sweep mucus, trapped particles, and debris out of your lungs. Those cilia work best when the airway surface is properly hydrated. Dehydration can make mucus thicker and more difficult to clear, reducing one of your body’s primary defense mechanisms.
Hydration won’t “detox” wildfire smoke, but it helps your lungs do what they were designed to do. Vitamin C is also one of the lungs’ primary antioxidants, and a randomized human study found that supplementation during periods of high PM2.5 exposure reduced several markers of inflammation while supporting the body’s antioxidant defenses. During major smoke events, staying hydrated, reducing additional exposure, and supporting your body’s natural defense systems are simple but meaningful steps toward resilience.
Join us on FB and YouTube Tuesday (July 21st) for Episode 11 of “Cutting Through the Hype” where we’ll take a deeper dive into wildfire smoke, including particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), oxidative stress, and practical strategies for protecting yourself and your family. Link in my profile and stories.
Ren, Jingyi et al. “Vascular benefits of vitamin C supplementation against fine particulate air pollution in healthy adults: A double-blind randomised crossover trial.” Ecotoxicology and environmental safety vol. 241 (2022): 113735. doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113735
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35689890/
Bai, Xu et al. “Vitamin C attenuates low-level PM2.5 exposure-induced lung inflammation and mitochondrial loss.” Environment international vol. 206 (2025): 109929. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2025.109929 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41252941/
Jin, Xiaoting et al. “Amelioration of particulate matter-induced oxidative damage by vitamin c and quercetin in human bronchial epithelial cells.” Chemosphere vol. 144 (2016): 459-66. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.09.023 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26386771/
