COEUR d'ALENE - The air quality in North Idaho reached hazardous levels Wednesday due to smoke from multiple wildfires.

According to AirNow, a government resource which provides daily Air Quality Index readings for more than 400 cities, conditions in Coeur d'Alene were unhealthy on Wednesday. That rating, determined by calculating the prevalence of five major air pollutants, comes with a warning for all residents to minimize time spent outdoors and any activity involving heavy exertion.

Dr. Kevin Chang, a pulmonologist at North Idaho Lung and Asthma, told The Press Wednesday that the region's poor air quality has kept his office busy.

"It's been steady and we've been getting a fair amount of phone calls from our patients," he said.

Effects of hazardous air quality caused by wildfire smoke varies, according to Chang, and residents with ailments such as asthma and COPD could see an impact from minimal exposure.

"But a normal individual may not have very many problems with the exposure aside from the usual irritated eyes or throat," he added.

Other symptoms from exposure to the smoke include a persistent cough, phlegm, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. Particulate matter in the smoke, according to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, is the primary public health threat and can affect the body's immune system, as well as the physiological mechanisms that remove inhaled foreign materials from the lungs.

"Using a surgical mask is not going to make much of a difference," Chang said of combatting the particulates.

According to the Center for Disease Control, a surgical mask is intended to protect the wearer from large droplets, sprays and splashes of body fluids. They are not designed to fit tightly around a face and do not effectively filter the small, hazardous, particulates from smoky air.

The masks that are effective, known as an N95 Respirator, fit tightly to the wearer's face and protects from exposure to airborne particles. N95 Respirators however are expensive and not readily available to the public, Chang said.

"The best advice is to stay indoors in an air-conditioned environment because of the closed circulation of air," Chang said. "There's not really much else other than just minimizing direct exposure to the smoke."

Athletics departments throughout North Idaho have heeded the warnings of health officials, with teams that can practice indoors doing so this week.

Coeur d'Alene and Lake City high schools had planned on playing the first football games of their respective seasons at the Kibbie Dome. However on Wednesday, the air quality index for Moscow reached hazardous levels, prompting district officials to begin considering cancelling the games.

"We wouldn't make that decision until Friday morning," Coeur d'Alene School District spokeswoman Laura Rumpler said.

Rumpler added that representatives from Moscow athletics departments have been in communication with their counterparts in Coeur d'Alene regarding cancellations of both indoor and outdoor activities in Latah County.

"We will remain in close communication," she said.

Coeur d'Alene School District Superintendent Matt Handelman set up a communication system with his counterparts in Lakeland and Post Falls to ensure the issue is being tackled at a regional level, Rumpler added.

There was no response to a request from The Press to the Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management for comments on the region's air quality.

At Spokane Emergency Management, spokesman Gerry Bozarth said Spokane County has experienced air quality ranging from "Unhealthy" to "Hazardous" since Friday. But planning for an occurrence like this, he added, is a challenge.

"We haven't had a day like last Friday since Mount St. Helens," Bozarth said. "It was very disconcerting for everyone because it was one of these things where you feel trapped indoors. And really, other than just good common sense things, it's very difficult to plan for."

Up-to-date information on the air quality in Idaho can be found at http://1.usa.gov/1PUHlhH.