#Wildfire smoke is like #smoking 'half a pack a day.' #Smoke from Canadian #wildfires continued to prompt #AirQuality alerts Monday in the #Northeast #US as well as the Upper #Midwest. #Michigan saw a statewide #air quality advisory on Monday, & while #Minnesota is seeing some relief, the […]
#Canada is experiencing its second worst #wildfire season on record, according to government data. There have been nearly 4,000 #fires recorded already this calendar year. Exposure to #WildfireSmoke is a growing #health problem across the country, as human-caused #ClimateChange increases the […]
May-Lin Wilgus, a pulmonologist & professor at UCLA, compares breathing #WildfireSmoke to smoking cigarettes–a lot of cigarettes. Scientists track #AirQuality w/ the air quality index, or #AQI, which incorporates different #pollution sources like ozone & fine particulates. Many scientists don't […]
On Monday the #AQI in #Detroit was at least 159. …When AQI levels reach 100–200, "the exposure to the fine particulate matter, the #air #pollution, is similar to smoking a quarter to half a pack a day," Wilgus says. That exposure takes a toll on a healthy person. But it is particularly harmful […]
#Smoke exposure can also worsen other #medical conditions. Emergency depts see more #cardiovascular related visits after smoky days. And a growing body of research suggests smoke exposure is linked to long-term impacts such as a higher risk of developing dementia. Overall, #AirQuality has […]
"Just maybe like ten years ago #wildfire was an exceptional issue. It was something that happens once in a lifetime for most people," he says. But #ClimateChange has increased the chance of #wildfires across many parts of the country, & the intensity of many of the burns themselves & the #smoke […]
@Nonilex Fortunately, there are lots of n95 and kn95 masks around now, and they do a good job of keeping the dangerous particles out of our lungs. If anyone has to go out into smoky air, wear a mask. Here in the SF Bay area we have been spared wildfires so far this year, but we have lots of […]
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