Wildfire smoke is a clear and present danger to your health.

-

 

Wildfire smoke is a clear and present danger to your health.




According to new research, smoke particulates from wildfires could cause between 4,000 and 9,000 premature deaths and cost between $36 to $82 billion annually in the United States.

The study, "Quantifying the Premature Mortality and Economic Loss From Wildfire-Induced PM2.5 in the Contiguous U.S.," was published in Science of the Total Environment.

"We think of automobile tailpipes and factory emissions polluting our air," said Oliver Gao, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Cornell University and a senior study author. "We don't necessarily think about air pollution from natural sources like wildfires.

"Climate change is leading to weather extremes like more storms and hurricanes, but it can also lead to more wildfires," Gao said. "The Quebec wildfires in early June affected human health hundreds of miles away in the distant cities New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington."

Wildfires release delicate particulate matter -- PM2.5, which consists of inhalable organic compounds, aerosols, and metals that are 2.5 microns or less -- substantially smaller than a human hair, which can enter the lungs and bloodstream.

The researchers used satellite wildfire emission and air quality (PM2.5) data from 2012 to 2014 for their updated model and assessed how wildfire smoke could impact human health and economies.

According to the study, metropolitan regions near fire sources like Los Angeles, Houston, and Atlanta will likely see a significant health burden and corresponding economic loss.

In the model, the researchers estimated New York City metropolitan area -- recently affected by the Quebec wildfire in early June -- would incur 86 premature deaths resulting from similar events and see $780 million in associated economic costs.

California, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina likely would be the states with the highest number of premature deaths due to the volume of particulate matter the smoke distributes.

Gao said that laws and regulations, such as planned events to thin forests, could reduce and mitigate the harmful effects of wildfires.

"Wildfire affects our health," he said. "In this era of climate change, if we remove flammable vegetation and do things like create green fire breaks and reduce the fuel for the fires, we can substantially decrease the harm of smoke downwind in populated areas."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PEOPLE WITH OBESITY BURN LESS CALORIES DURING THE DAY

-
Image
  PEOPLE WITH OBESITY BURN LESS CALORIES DURING THE DAY Building on prior studies with healthy-weight participants, the new research includes different body sizes.         New research indicates that weight influences how and when bodies burn energy. An Oregon Health & Science University study published in the journal  Obesity  found people who have a healthy weight use more energy during the day, when most people are active and eat, while those who are obese spend more energy during the night when most people sleep. The study also found that during the day, those with obesity have higher levels of the hormone insulin -- a sign that the body is working harder to use glucose, an energy-packed sugar. "It was surprising to learn how dramatically the timing of when our bodies burn energy differed in those with obesity," said the study's first author, Andrew McHill, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the OHSU School of Nursing and the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health
Read more

WHAT CAUSES ITCHING, AND WHAT STOPS IT?

-
Image
  WHAT CAUSES ITCHING, AND WHAT STOPS IT?         It can be a relief to scratch the occasional itch, but when itch gets out of control, it can become a severe health problem. How does the body know when to stop? Scientists at UC San Francisco are getting close to an answer. In a breakthrough that could transform how doctors treat conditions from eczema to allergies, they have discovered a feedback loop centered on a single immune protein called IL-31 that causes the urge to itch and dials back nearby inflammation. The findings, published on October 13th in  Science Immunology , lay the groundwork for a new generation of drugs that interact more intelligently with the body's innate self-regulating ability. Previous approaches suggested that IL-31 signals itch and promotes skin inflammation. However, the UCSF team discovered that nerve cells, or neurons, that respond to IL-31, triggering a scratch, also prevent immune cells from overreacting and causing more widespread irritation. &q
Read more

A VEGAN DIET IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY

-
Image
  A VEGAN DIET IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY         In a study with 22 pairs of identical twins, Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues have found that a vegan diet improves cardiovascular health in as little as eight weeks. Although it's well-known that eating less meat improves cardiovascular health, diet studies often need to be enhanced by genetic differences, upbringing, and lifestyle choices. By studying identical twins, however, the researchers were able to control for genetics and limit the other factors, as the twins grew up in the same households and reported similar lifestyles. "Not only did this study provide a groundbreaking way to assert that a vegan diet is healthier than the conventional omnivore diet, but the twins were also a riot to work with," said Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., the Rehnborg Farquhar Professor and a professor of medicine. "They dressed the same, they talked the same, and they had a banter betwe
Read more