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Jun 19, 2023 · There are approx. 8000 wildfires each year in Canada with human-caused events representing 55% and lightning 45% of all wildfires. Health Canada estimates that between 2013 and 2018, up to 240 premature deaths per year were attributable to short-term exposure and up to 2500 premature deaths per year were attributable to long-term exposure to particles ( PM 2.5 ) in wildfire smoke.
Jul 26, 2023 · But there’s still a dearth of population-based high-quality evidence on the long-term health effects of wildfires, according to the authors of “Long-term impacts of non-occupational wildfire exposure on human health: A systematic review,” published in Environmental Pollution in March 2023.
A wildfire is an unplanned fire that burns in a natural area such as a forest, grassland, or prairie. Wildfires are often caused by human activity or a natural phenomenon such as lightning, and they can happen at any time or anywhere. In 50% of wildfires recorded, it is not known how they started.
- Wildfires Can Create Hazardous Air. As the recent fires in Quebec illustrated, wildfires can have far-reaching impacts on air quality, with wind pushing smoke across hundreds of miles and causing widespread health hazards.
- Wildfires Fuel Climate Change. In addition to creating poor air quality, wildfires produce planet-warming greenhouse gases that fuel climate change. Because trees store carbon, they also release it into the air as they burn.
- Wildfires Threaten Water Security. Forests are vitally important for safeguarding water quality and freshwater access. Forested watersheds provide over two-thirds of the world’s drinking water, with 33 of the world’s 105 largest cities relying on forested areas for their water supplies alongside many smaller cities and rural regions.
- Wildfires Can Increase the Risk of Flooding. Cities are especially susceptible to flooding. Urban areas have high amounts of impermeable surfaces, such as sidewalks and roads, which results in more runoff when it rains.
To fully understand the potential health effects of wildfire smoke, there need to be more studies that consider: the combined effects of wildfire smoke and heat to health; the health effects of different elements of wildfire smoke other than particulate matter (PM) the difficulty in differentiating between wildfire-PM2.5 and PM2.5 from all sources
Apr 19, 2024 · Wildfire smoke is a mix of gases and fine particles from burning trees and plants, buildings, and other material. Wildfire smoke can make you sick. Breathing in smoke can affect you right away, causing: Coughing. Trouble breathing. Wheezing. Asthma attacks. Stinging eyes. Scratchy throat. Runny nose. Irritated sinuses. Headaches. Tiredness ...
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Jun 28, 2023 · Get an air purifier. The advice from public health and medical experts has been consistent. And, as with the COVID-19 variants that caused surges followed by periods of relative calm, air quality has gone back and forth between healthy and unhealthy levels. As long as there are wildfires, experts expect these shifts in air quality to continue.
