Four key problems, and safety measures to address them
Below are four key problems associated with wildfire smoke, as well as practical tips from Stanford experts about how to stay safe. While the hazardous air quality is certainly cause for alarm, there are precautionary measures people can take to protect their health during wildfire season.
“This all gets up in the air – microplastics, volatile organic compounds, heavy metals and any kind of nitrogen oxide species.” Once released, the toxins can easily enter the lungs, presenting a whole host of health concerns. But any of the products one normally finds under the kitchen sink – including Drano, dishwasher fluid, cleaning supplies and soap – also contribute to the problem, Nadeau said. In a March Stanford symposium on wildfire in the West, Nadeau described the 200-plus toxins that shroud the air during a wildfire, highlighting particulate matter and soot balls as main offenders. Parker Center for Allergy & Asthma Research, and Mary Prunicki, the center’s director of air pollution and health research. The health effects of wildfire smoke are well-documented in research by Kari Nadeau, director of Stanford’s Sean N. We know how harmful and widespread exposure to wildfire smoke is, but while people see flames as this indisputable danger, we’ve found that the smoke does not significantly impact policy preferences.” “Ideology and education affect whether or not people take this problem seriously. “It’s startling how ill-prepared folks are for the smoke,” Cain said. (Image credit: Christopher Michel via Flickr)īut while these programs address an urgent need to reduce the risk of ignition, few are ready for the toxic air that inevitably accompanies wildfires, according to Bruce Cain, professor of political science and the Spence and Cleone Eccles Family Director of The Bill Lane Center for the American West. In the American West, 50 percent or more of PM2.5 in the air is due to wildfire smoke. Wildfires in September 2020 created hazardous air quality in the San Francisco Bay Area, turning the sky orange for an entire day.