Forest fire smoke is more dangerous than most people realize

This story first appeared on High Country News and is a part of Climate table cooperation.

The more researchers learn about wildfire smoke, the more disturbing the picture becomes. It contains microscopic particles known as haze PM 2.5 because PM (particulate matter) is 2.5 microns or less – small enough to easily enter our lungs and then into our bloodstream. Researchers have already linked particles in wildfire smoke to higher levels of smoke risk stroke, heart disease, respiratory disease, lung cancer and other serious conditions.

And the harmful effects do not end there. 2024 has been a banner year for research on wildfire smoke and its effects on health, from brain function to fertility. Although more remains to be learned, fire smoke is thought to be particularly insidious comparison to other sources of air pollution; its smaller particle size, intermediate spikes, and higher concentration of inflammatory compounds make it more dangerous.

This year’s new findings are troubling. But the more we learn about smoke, the better we can protect ourselves from it, whether we live hundreds of miles away from a fire or face it head-on, as wildland firefighters do. Research highlights the need for some changes, including better indoor air filtration systems in our homes and hospitals. schoolsand nursing homesand clean air centers for people who have nowhere else to breathe healthy air. Meanwhile, respirators for wildland firefighters is currently being tested by the federal government. We must also reduce smoke pollution at the source by taking measures to reduce the risk and intensity of wildfires, such as prescribed burns.

Some of the biggest advances in scientists’ understanding of wildfire smoke in 2024 include:

New estimates predict that by 2054, 125 million Americans will experience unhealthy air from wildfires.

There is smoke from a wildfire deleted Improvements in air quality in recent years are expected to continue, a trend that is expected to continue. Millions of people will be exposed to more unhealthy air in the coming years models Released in February by the First Street Foundation. By 2054, more than 125 million Americans are estimated to be exposed to “red” air quality each year. unhealthy level by the Environmental Protection Agency – a 50 percent increase from 2024. California’s Central Valley will see the worst of it, with Fresno and Tulare counties likely to experience three months of unhealthy weather per year, according to the study.

Smoking May Interfere with Fertility Treatments

In 2020, wildfires that started over Labor Day weekend swept Oregon with some fires worst air quality in the world at that time. These 10 or more days of hazy weather affected everyone, especially patients undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment or IVF. Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University studied 69 patients who received ovarian stimulation and IVF treatment within six weeks of the wildfires. Their research was published in the journal Fertility and Sterility in may found Patients exposed to fire smoke produced fewer blastocysts—groups of cells that can develop into embryos—than those not exposed. Most of the patients still got pregnant, but the study’s lead author said she was concerned about how the smoke might affect fertility treatments. He said Idaho Capital Sun that, as an added precaution, fertility providers may postpone IVF or embryo transfer for high-risk patients during periods of poor air quality.

Eva Sunderlin of Scottsdale, Arizona, and her granddaughter Aurora Sunderlin view Bridal Falls in Yosemite National Park in Yosemite National Park on July 11, 2022, as smoke from the Washburn Fire blankets the valley.

Photo: Getty Images

Forest fire smoke kills people prematurely

More people have died from wildfire smoke than previously thought, according to a study by the University of California, Los Angeles. New research A study published in June in the journal Science Advances found that fine particulate matter in smog caused 52,500 to 55,700 premature deaths in California from 2008 to 2018. According to its authors, this is the first long-term study to assess deaths from years of increased wildfire smoke exposure in a state that, like other Western states, experiences more frequent and more severe wildfires.

Exposure to secondhand smoke is bad for teens’ mental health

Researchers University of Colorado Boulder found that fire smoke increases the risk of mental health problems in adolescents. The to learnAccording to the university, published in September in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, it analyzed data from 10,000 teenagers who participated in the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States. In 2016, each additional day that children were exposed to “unsafe” air quality indicators increased their likelihood of experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety, even a year later.

Years of Firefighting Can Cause Neurodegenerative Diseases

Lab rats, of course, are not human. But under controlled conditions, they can offer useful insights into human health outcomes. Researchers exposed mice to as much smoke as outdoor firefighters would breathe in a 15- to 30-year career found said they were more likely to develop brain disease than unexposed mice. The animals’ gene profiles fit a pattern that suggests long-term damage similar to the effects of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Although the researchers could not prove that smoke was the direct cause of the increased disease risk, lead author Adam Schuller said. Boise State Public Radio Wildland firefighters need to be aware of the effects of a long career in firefighting on the human brain.

Forest fire smoke linked to dementia

Breathing in particles in air pollution has already been linked to an increased risk of dementia. Now researchers say wildfire smoke may pose a greater risk than other sources of pollution. Analysis of over 1.2 million people in Southern California found In this study, long-term exposure to fire smoke for three years was associated with a higher risk of being diagnosed with dementia. According to a study published in the journal JAMA Neurology, the odds of a dementia diagnosis increased by 18 percent for each cubic meter increase in wildfire pollution over three years, which is relatively small. for comparisonIn 2018, the average PM 2.5 exposure for a census tract near the Camp Fire in California was 1.2 micrograms per cubic meter between 2006 and 2020, rising to 310 micrograms per cubic meter during the actual fire.