The serious health risks posed by wildfire smoke

Massive wildfires are raging around the world during unprecedented heatwaves, blanketing millions of people under pungent haze caused by smoke carrying noxious gases and particulate matter that pose serious health risks.Here is what you need to know about the risks of wildfire smoke.More toxic than normal air pollution, wildfire smoke can linger in the air for weeks and travel thousands of miles.Wildfires ​can burn not only vegetation but also vehicles and buildings as well as their contents.Along with particles of soil and biological materials, wildfire smoke often contains traces of ‌chemicals, metals, plastics and other synthetic materials.In laboratory experiments, wildfire smoke causes more inflammation and tissue damage than air pollution, said Kent Pinkerton, co-director of the Center for Health and the Environment at the University of California, Davis.Studies have linked wildfire smoke with higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrests, increases in emergency room visits for asthma, weakened immune defenses and poorer survival rates after surgery.

A 2023 study in Maryland, identified a spike in heart and lung illnesses ​that was associated with wildfire smoke originating up to 2,100 miles away.Wildfires also have been linked with eye and skin problems.Wildfire exposure in pregnancy has been associated with miscarriage, low birth ​weight and preterm delivery.A California study found a link between wildfire exposure and cellular damage in first- and second-trimester placentas.

A separate study found that wildfire smoke exposure during ⁠the third trimester may raise the risk of an autism diagnosis.The effects of exposure can persist for years.After Australia’s 2014 Hazelwood Coal Mine fire, heart disease rates remained elevated for two-and-a-half years and respiratory illnesses for ​five years.A 2026 US study linked wildfire smoke exposure with elevated risks for lung, colorectal, breast, bladder and blood cancer, with the...