Fox News Doc Urges Americans Impacted By Smoke to Wear Masks Day After Network’s Jeanine Pirro Slammed ‘Mask Insanity’

Fox News contributor Dr. Marc Siegel repeatedly urged Americans who are in the areas impacted by wildfire smoke to wear masks when outdoors and laid out the various health risks the poor quality poses. Siegel joined Fox anchor Martha MacCallum to discuss public health on Thursday, just a day after Jeanine Pirro tore into Democrats for hyping “mask insanity” while on the top-rated show, The Five.

“While Americans choke on the smoke, the far left smells an opportunity. AOC thinks this is a great time to push her Green New Deal. She says that we must, quote, ‘Adapt our food systems, energy grids, infrastructure, and healthcare to prepare for what’s to come.’ Other Democrats are pumping up climate hysteria and bringing back, you guessed it, mask insanity,” Pirro raged on Wednesday.

MacCallum stuck a very different tone, noting the smoke poses “a real health hazard to people.”

“You really couldn’t see anything this morning. It’s clearing a little bit this afternoon, but a lot of people on the streets are wearing masks,” Siegel replied, adding:

I’m encouraging them to wear the high-grade masks. The danger here is from something called PM 2.5, which, Martha, is the tiny particle that gets deep into your lungs, which is why the American Lung Association calls this an extreme risk, a scream hazard to the lungs. This is for people with preexisting lung disease. This is for people with asthma. You know, I encourage people to take an extra inhaler.

People should obviously stay indoors. But there’s also a risk to the heart here because if these particles stop the oxygen, you risk a heart attack or you risk a stroke. And we’re concerned of that, about that risk. It’s moving south from here. It’s going to move west to the Ohio River Valley.

Nobody is out of the woods yet. You know, this is reportedly the biggest amount of smoke we’ve seen from wildfires in almost 20 years. And again, the health issues, staying indoors, obviously having a filtration system that’s up to date, using recycled air in your car, changing your filters if you can, and really be on the lookout for young children and people with chronic conditions, especially lung conditions.

“Let me ask you this. Obviously, obviously, a lot of people have to go outside. I mean, I walked to work today. There were people walking to work all around me. You know what? What should you look for? What’s a concern? Because if you feel a little bit like you know it, it feels like a little heavy or whatever. But what’s a sign that you need to go to a hospital? You need to call your doctor?” MacCallum followed up.

“So that’s a great question. Obviously, with people with asthma or with breathing problems. I look for shortness of breath. And no, I don’t think that person should have been jogging on the bridge in Philadelphia that we just saw without a mask. I encourage people that are at risk to wear masks. But to your direct question, there’s also carbon monoxide in this smoke. And so we look for headache and fatigue. You’re just not feeling quite right. The first symptom that people usually have is they feel it in their eyes,” Siegel replied.

Watch the full clip above via Fox News.