This story was originally Published in High Country News and part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
The more researchers learn about wildfire smoke, the more alarming the situation becomes. Smoke contains microscopic particles known as PM 2.5. This is because PM (particulate matter) measures less than 2.5 microns, which is small enough to easily enter the lungs and then into the bloodstream. Researchers have already linked particulate matter in wildfire smoke to an increased risk of stroke, heart disease, respiratory disease, lung cancer and other serious conditions.
And that’s not the only negative impact. 2024 was a landmark year for research into wildfire smoke and its effects on health, from brain function to fertility. Although there is still much to learn, wildfire smoke is thought to be particularly insidious compared to other sources of air pollution. It is more dangerous due to its smaller particle size, intermittent spikes, and high concentration of inflammatory compounds.
This year’s new discoveries are alarming. But the more you learn about smoke, the more you can protect yourself from it, whether you live hundreds of miles away from a fire or fight it directly like a wildland firefighter. The study highlights the need for several changes, including improved indoor air filtration systems in homes, hospitals, schools, and nursing homes, and air purification centers for people who have nowhere else to breathe healthy air. Masu. Meanwhile, ventilators for wildland firefighters are currently being tested by the federal government. We also need to reduce smoke pollution at the source by taking steps to reduce the risk and intensity of wildfires, such as prescribed burns.
Here are some of the biggest advances in scientists’ understanding of wildfire smoke in 2024.
New estimates predict 125 million Americans will face unhealthy air from wildfires by 2054
In recent years, wildfire smoke has erased air quality improvements, and this trend is expected to continue. According to a model published by the First Street Foundation in February, millions more people will be exposed to unhealthy air. It is estimated that by 2054, more than 125 million Americans will be exposed to “red” air quality each year, which is considered unhealthy by the Environmental Protection Agency, an increase of 50% from 2024. Masu. California’s Central Valley sees the worst of it. Studies show Fresno and Tulare counties are more likely to be exposed to unhealthy air for about three months a year.
Smoke can interfere with fertility treatment
Wildfires that erupted over Labor Day weekend in 2020 left Oregon with some of the worst air quality in the world at the time. The smoky air of the past 10 days has affected everyone, especially patients undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment (IVF). Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University studied 69 patients who underwent ovarian stimulation and IVF treatment in the six weeks after the wildfires. Their research was published in the journal Fertility and infertility In May, researchers found that patients exposed to wildfire smoke produced fewer blastocysts (clumps of cells that can grow into embryos) than those who weren’t exposed. Most of the patients still became pregnant, but the study’s lead author said she was concerned about how smoke might affect fertility treatments. He told the Idaho Capital Sun that when air quality is poor, fertility providers may want to delay IVF or embryo transfer for high-risk patients as an added precaution.
Wildfire smoke is killing people prematurely
Thousands more people died from wildfire smoke than previously realized, according to a study from the University of California, Los Angeles. A new study published in June in the journal Science Advances found that particulate matter in smoke caused 52,500 to 55,700 premature deaths in California between 2008 and 2018. . According to the authors, this is the first study to assess deaths caused by increased exposure to wildfire smoke over many years in a state that, like other Western states, experiences more frequent and severe wildfires. This is a long-term study.
Smoke exposure negatively impacts adolescent mental health
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder found that wildfire smoke increases the risk of mental health problems in adolescents. The study, published in the journal Environment Health Perspectives in September, drew data from 10,000 preteens who participated in the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States, the university said. It was analyzed. For each additional day that children were exposed to “unsafe” air quality measurements in 2016, the likelihood of them experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety increased up to a year later.
Years of firefighting can cause neurodegenerative diseases
Of course, lab rats are not humans. However, in a controlled environment, it can provide useful insights into the effects on human health. Researchers exposed mice to the same amount of smoke that wildland firefighters breathe over their 15-30 year careers and found that they were more likely to develop brain disease than mice that were not exposed. I discovered it. The genetic profiles of these animals matched patterns suggestive of long-term damage similar to the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases. Although researchers have not been able to prove that smoke is directly responsible for the increased risk of disease, lead author Adam Schuller told Boise State Public Radio that wildland firefighters have a long history of being firefighters. He said we need to be aware of the impact that a career has on the human brain.
Wildfire smoke linked to dementia
Breathing in particulate matter in air pollution has already been linked to an increased risk of dementia. Researchers now say wildfire smoke may pose an even greater risk than other sources of pollution. An analysis of more than 1.2 million people in Southern California found that exposure to wildfire smoke over long periods of time (three years in this study) increased the risk of a dementia diagnosis. The study, published in JAMA Neurology, found that for every microgram per cubic meter of wildfire pollution over three years, the odds of being diagnosed with dementia increased by 18 percent; The target is small. For comparison, the average PM 2.5 exposure for census tracts near the 2018 Camp Fire in California was 1.2 micrograms per cubic meter between 2006 and 2020, and 1.2 micrograms per cubic meter during an actual fire. It suddenly increased to 310 micrograms.
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