toxic smoke
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People should take wildfire smoke more seriously
Research shows wildfire smoke is a major health hazard, but many Americans continue to disregard the risks.
In short:
- Wildfire smoke contains tiny particles that pose serious health risks and kill thousands annually.
- Recent studies show almost all of North America has experienced smoke coverage at some point in recent years.
- Despite the dangers, public awareness and protective actions, such as mask-wearing, remain insufficient.
Key quote:
“There’s a lot of chemicals in that. There’s all sorts of things in the pollution that you might not see in other sources of PM2.5. We’re still unclear on what that means for health.”
— Marissa Childs, an environmental-health researcher at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
Why this matters:
Research indicates that wildfire smoke contains a hazardous mix of particulate matter, gases, and chemicals that can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream. These tiny particles, known as PM2.5, are particularly concerning due to their ability to trigger respiratory and cardiovascular problems. For vulnerable populations—children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing conditions like asthma or heart disease—the risks are even higher.
Related EHN coverage:
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Choked out: the wildfire smoke threat to tree planters
This summer’s worst recorded fire season in Alberta, British Columbia and across Canada means many more tree planters have been exposed to harmful pollutants contained within smoke.
Photo by Matt Koffel on Unsplash
As air quality worsens, is now the time to buy a respirator?
One person who used a respirator to combat wildfire smoke earlier this month said he wants to empower people to use the mask that works best for them.
Photo by Björn Simon on Unsplash
The history of American air pollution, explained
Vox reporter Rachel DuRose explains the history of American air pollution.
In a nutshell:
The progress made in the United States to combat air pollution over the past century is being undermined by the growing threat of wildfire smoke, exacerbated by climate change. While previous efforts focused on regulating emissions from industrial and human-made sources, wildfires pose a different challenge as they are natural disasters. With extreme fire events becoming more frequent and severe, particulate matter emissions are on the rise, posing a significant health risk.
Key quote:
“Air quality is a really terrific method to get people on board with the idea that we have to do something that reduces the speed of climate change,” says David Lu, the co-founder of Clarity Movement, a company providing air quality monitoring solutions. “It’s a Trojan horse, almost.”
The big picture:
Increasingly, wildfires are driven by human-led activities such as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels. The resulting toxic air pollution, particularly the hazardous particulate matter, poses significant health risks, including respiratory infections, heart disease, and lung cancer. Legislative action and public awareness are crucial to address this smoky future and mitigate the impact of climate change on air quality.
Read more about toxic pollution, wildfire smoke, and climate change at Vox.
Want to learn more? EHN reporter Elizabeth Gribkoff wrote about the health effects of wildfire smoke, even in cities far from the wildfires.
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Newsletter
In California, unhealthy pollution from wildfire smoke has become dangerously common
As wildfires have choked skies in the western United States, turning them vivid orange or sickly ochre, millions of people now live where smoke regularly makes breathing unhealthy.
Western wildfire smoke dramatically altered D.C.'s sunrises and sunsets
The sun’s usually bright and vibrant colors at sunrise and sunset in recent days were replaced by dim and soft reddish hues in the sky. The culprit? Western wildfire smoke in the atmosphere that filtered the sunlight reaching the ground.
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