In recent years, wildfires in the western U.S. have grown larger and more intense, stoked by factors like climate change and the build-up of dense trees and dry brush from past fire suppression. These powerful blazes are capable of generating smoke that travels hundreds of miles: this week’s fires in eastern Canada sent smoke to New York and Washington. In 2021, smoke from Western wildfires made it all the way across the country. According to one NPR analysis, one in seven Americans were impacted by wildfire smoke in 2020.
Is Wildfire Smoke Bad for My Health?
Persistent smoke pollution has become a new public health threat, with wide-ranging impacts to our minds and bodies. Tiny soot particles are capable of breaching the barriers of the lungs and skin, and can cause wide-ranging damage. “Air pollution that comes from wildfires affects every organ in our body,” says Aaron Bernstein, who leads the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment. Here’s an overview of the concerning health effects researchers have uncovered so far.
