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Smoke from Wildfires

Climate change increases wildfire potential and activity . Climate change leads to a warmer ground temperature and its effects include: earlier snowmelt dates, drier than expected vegetation, increased number of potential fire days, increased occurrence of summer droughts, and a prolonged dry season .

Warming spring and summer temperatures increase flammability of materials that make up the forest floors . Warmer temperatures cause dehydration of these materials, which prevents rain from soaking up and dampening fires . Furthermore, pollution from wildfires can exacerbate climate change by releasing atmospheric aerosols, which modify cloud and precipitation patterns .

Wood smoke from wildfires produces particulate matter that has damaging effects to human health . The primary pollutants in wood smoke are carbon monoxide and nitric oxide . Through the destruction of forests and human-designed infrastructure, wildfire smoke releases other toxic and carcinogenic compounds, such as formaldehyde and hydrocarbons (Epstein). These pollutants damage human health by evading the mucociliary clearance system and depositing in the upper respiratory tract, where they exert toxic effects .

The health effects of wildfire smoke exposure include: exacerbations and development of respiratory illness such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder; increased risk of lung cancer, mesothelioma and tuberculosis; increased airway hyper-responsiveness; changes in levels of inflammatory mediators and coafulation factors; and respiratory tract infection. It may also have intrauterine effects on fetal development, resulting in low birth weight newborns (Holistius, etc.). Because wildfire smoke travels and is often not isolated to a single geographic region, the health effects are widespread among populations

Research by Naeher and colleagues found that physician visits for respiratory diseases increased by 45-80% during wildfire activity in urban British Columbia.