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As dozens of wildfires rage in California, air pollution levels are skyrocketing.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) measures air pollution with the Air Quality Index – an AQI of 50 or less represents good air quality.
A score between 201 and 300 is considered “very unhealthy”, while anything above 300 is considered “dangerous”, with emergency conditions in place for all residents.
In some regions of California now, the AQI is above 700, according to the US government’s AirNow website.
The result is an environmental crisis that could easily turn into a health crisis.
AirNow’s map of air quality in the western United States. Yellow is considered moderate, while red is ‘unhealthy’, purple is ‘very unhealthy’ and brown is ‘dangerous’
“In my experience, the impact of the current fires is unprecedented and the exposures can be dangerous for many people,” Michael Kleinman of the Irvine Division of Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of California told Newsweek.
While California faces wildfires every year, experts say climate change has greatly increased in frequency and intensity.
“The debate on climate change is over,” Governor Gavin Newsom said Friday as he toured the fire-ravaged city of Oroville. ‘Just come to the state of California, see it with your own eyes’
Newsom mentioned that August was the hottest in the state’s history, with 14,000 dry lightning strikes in three days, in addition to record temperatures and droughts.
The Bobcat fire consumes trees in the Angeles National Forest on September 10, 2020. Particles can travel miles and affect people’s health far from a fire
This year’s season is already the worst on record, with two months still to go.
More than three million acres have been incinerated, with 19 deaths recorded and 4,000 buildings burned statewide.
“It’s a historic season as well as a historic season that replaced a historic season,” Sean Norman, battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told AP.
A graph indicating the Air Quality Index levels and their meanings. Anything around 200 is considered ‘very unhealthy’ and above 300 is ‘dangerous’. Parts of California have logged more than 700 all week
“We keep setting new precedents, and then we keep destroying them.”
In addition to devastating the landscape, fires pose a threat to human health.
Particles from biomass burning can travel miles to reach areas far from a fire.
The worst of these fine particles, known as PM2.5, irritate the respiratory tract and lungs and can cause chest pain, bronchitis, pneumonia, COPD, and even heart failure.
An AirNow map showing air quality in the US on September 11, 2020. Green dots represent “good” air levels, while red, orange, and brown indicate increasing levels of air pollution. air.
An October 2018 study found that exposure to PM2.5 increased the risk of mouth cancer by as much as 40 percent.
“Some of the compounds in the particles are also known carcinogens,” Kleinman told Newsweek. “The gases contain carbon monoxide, which is poisonous, nitrogen oxides and fumes such as formaldehyde and acrolein, all of which can affect health.”
He compared it to the harm caused by cigarette smoking.
“Many of the same toxic compounds found in tobacco smoke are found in wildfire smoke.”
The downtown Los Angeles skyline on September 10, 2020. Residents are encouraged to stay indoors, keep windows and doors closed, and set air conditioners to run on recirculated air
And the danger is not limited to the Golden State: Oregon and Washington also report record measurements of air quality.
In western Oregon, Cottage Grove, a town of about 10,000 in the Willamette Valley, recorded a measurement of 807, according to KOMO Channel 4.
Even in Portland, which hasn’t been hit as hard as other parts of the state, the index hit 500 yesterday.
That’s worse than pollution capitals like Mexico City and Beijing.
Residents of affected states are being asked to limit outdoor exposure, set air conditioners to run on recirculated air, and avoid activities such as driving, mowing lawns, and barbecuing.
“Keep the windows and doors closed,” Travis Knudsen of the Lane County Regional Aviation Protection Agency told KOMO.
‘Seal any places where air may be entering your home. We are waiting for a major change in the weather pattern before we see any relief from the smoke. One can arrive early next week if the forecast doesn’t change, until then our air won’t see much improvement.
HOW DO FIRES START?
The amount of land in North America ravaged by wildfires each year will increase, according to new research (file photo)
The ‘Thomas Fire’ destroyed 281,893 acres in California in December 2017.
In addition, the Nazko complex fire in British Columbia last year consumed more than a million acres, making it the largest ever recorded in the province.
But the amount of land destroyed by wildfires each year will only increase in western and northern North America in the coming years, according to a new report published in Plos One magazine.
Up to 90 percent of wildfires in the United States are caused by people, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
These fires can be started by unattended bonfires, burning piles of debris, randomly discarded cigarettes, or arson.
The remaining 10th of unstarted forest fires are attributed to lighting or lava.
