WWildfires in Canada began sending smoke across the border on Sunday and throughout the week, prompting U.S. authorities to issue air quality warnings in several northern states — and experts say people should be prepared for more air quality alerts this summer.
Parts of Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin suffered from poor air quality on Sunday and Monday because of wildfire smoke. continuing to burn in British Columbia and Alberta. While the sky in the USA mostly clean by Tuesday, experts say they expect another active wildfire season this summer.
Last summer was Canada’s most devastating wildfire season on recordand researchers discovered that it was also the worst season in recent history for smoke exposure per US resident.
“We still think last year was pretty extreme, kind of an anomaly, but we’re expecting an above-average year (this year) in terms of air quality alerts,” says David Brown, air quality meteorologist at the Bureau of Control. of Minnesota Pollution. .
Brown urged people to be aware and cautious due to the danger posed by inhaling wildfire smoke.
“Wildfire smoke can really affect everyone,” Brown tells TIME. “Before these two really bad summers, air quality was kind of a… a problem that probably only affected a small percentage of the population. But these impactful wildfire smoke events really can have impacts on everyone, so everyone has to pay more attention to the weather and air quality.”
Fine particles in wildfire smoke — known as PM2.5 because they have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers — are so small that they can enter the lungs and even the bloodstream, according to Craig Czarnecki, outreach coordinator for the Department of Wisconsin Nature. Aerial Resource Management Program.
The average person may experience relatively mild symptoms after breathing in these particles, such as itchy throat and itchy eyes, Brown explains. But for children, the elderly and people with pre-existing heart or respiratory problems, breathing in these particles can cause more significant symptoms – for example, it can worsen a person’s asthma. In extreme cases, some people with pre-existing heart problems have suffered heart attacks or heart palpitations.
See more information: What wildfire smoke does to the human body
A 2023 study published in Journal of the American Medical Association found an association between smoke from wildfires in Canada and an increase in the number of people being treated for asthma-related symptoms in New York City emergency departments.
The study shows that “smoke from wildfires is a threat to public health,” according to Kai Chen, assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health and lead author of the study. But the effect of wildfire smoke on asthma is “only one part” of the impact that wildfire smoke can have on people’s health, Chen says.
Research also shows that exposure to wildfire smoke can have long-term impacts. A working document in National Bureau of Economic Research found that as climate change increases the prevalence and intensity of wildfires, exposure to wildfire smoke could lead to nearly 28,000 deaths per year by 2050 – a 76% increase over the estimated average number of deaths among 2011 and 2020.
Other studies show that prolonged exposure to PM2.5 can harm children’s lung development and increase the risk of develop lung cancer or heart disease.
When authorities issue air quality alerts, people should limit their exposure to wildfire smoke, reduce exertion and watch for possible symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath, Brown and Czarnecki advise. Wearing an N95 mask can be helpful if people are outdoors for long periods of time, adds Czarnecki.
“When we have warnings like this, the best way to avoid breathing in particles during smoke events is to stay home,” says Czarnecki.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
