Smoky late summers, dark gray winters, and radon in the northeast.
Wildfire smoke can blanket Washington in late summer. Winters are dark, with a sun too low to make vitamin D for months. Northeastern counties sit in EPA's highest radon zone, and valley fever has been found in south-central Washington.
Wildfire smoke carries fine particles that reach deep into the lungs and can worsen asthma, COPD and heart disease. Smoke can drift far from the fire, so it affects cities as well as fire country. Children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with heart or lung disease are most at risk.
Your skin makes vitamin D from the sun's UVB rays. A classic study found that winter sunlight at 42 degrees north made no vitamin D in skin from November through February, and at 52 degrees north the gap ran from October through March. Washington sits at 46 to 49 degrees, with cloudy winters on top, so food is the more reliable source for much of the year.
Radon is an invisible, odorless radioactive gas that seeps from soil into homes and is the leading cause of lung cancer in people who don't smoke. EPA's map puts several northeastern counties, including Spokane, in Zone 1, its highest-risk category. Testing is the only way to know your home's level.
Valley fever is a lung infection from breathing spores of a fungus that lives in soil. Most people think of the Southwest, but CDC notes the fungus also lives in south-central Washington. Digging, construction and dust storms stir up the spores.
Get care for chest pain, trouble breathing or a severe cough during smoke events, and call 911 if symptoms are serious. See a doctor for a cough or fever lasting more than a week or two after dust exposure, and mention valley fever.