Skies of Toxic Wildfire Smoke Endanger Health

As wildfires consumed the forests on the West Coast of the US in September and smoke billowed into the air, more than seven million people living in California’s Bay Area struggled to breathe. According to experts, inhaling the smoke-filled air from ever more frequent wildfires can have chronic health consequences.

Living under a perpetual “Spare the Air” alert, indicating breathing presents a health hazard, residents suffered. The air quality was even worse in Oregon and Washington, but it didn’t stop there. Clouds of smoke blanketed the nation, stretching as far as the East Coast and Europe.

Smoke from wildfires is composed of gases and particles from the materials that fuel the fire. This includes ozone, carbon monoxide, polycyclic aromatic compounds, and nitrogen dioxide. Breathing smoky air intermittently causes stinging eyes and trouble recovering after coughing, but wildfires are occurring more frequently of late and are more difficult to extinguish.

Atmospheric scientists are on a mission to find out what happens to individuals who are exposed to forest fire smoke for extended periods of time. They speculate that prolonged exposure causes inflammation and organ damage. As wildfire smoke enters the airway, particles 30 times smaller than a human hair get lodged deep in the lungs, injuring the lining. The body works desperately to eliminate the foreign objects, causing spontaneous fits of coughing. The major organs affected by inhaling wildfire smoke are the lungs, heart, kidneys, liver, and brain. Pregnant women are at great risk as the inflammation directly affects the unborn fetus. Symptoms of lung diseases like asthma are exacerbated as the person struggles to inhale much-needed oxygen.

Continued research will shed more light on the prolonged impact of the blazes on the body and how to protect oneself against the ominous skies.