What’s different and worse about the smoke coming from the Los Angeles fires

Los Angeles is already known for its poor air quality. But now the fires sweeping the region are sending up plumes of black smoke that pose threats to human health beyond those posed by typical wildfires.

Forest fire smoke can Remaining For weeks and travel Across the continent.

But what sets the Los Angeles fires apart, researchers say, is the toxic mix of substances found in smoke from burning buildings, vehicles, electronics, plastics and other components of the urban environment, as well as trees and other plants that typically burn in Los Angeles. Wild. here What is known about the health risks From this smoke in the short and long term:

The lungs take the first hit

In the short term, wildfire smoke, like all smoke, inflames the lungs, says Dr. Chris Carlsten, professor of medicine and director of the Air Pollution Exposure Laboratory at the University of British Columbia.

But wildfire smoke has its own effects on the blood, which is thought to increase the risk outside the lungs where blood circulates To the heart.

Wildfire smoke contains fine particles that can travel deep into the lungs when inhaled. When the lungs become inflamed, scientists suspect they send inflammatory cells into the bloodstream and affect other organs, including brain.

Smoke can also irritate the eyes and throat, leading to itching, coughing and sneezing, Carlsten says.

Severe symptoms can also include chest tightness, wheezing, fast or irregular heartbeat, and excessive fatigue. These symptoms Usually easy Once the smoke disappeared, according to UC Davis.

Smoke questions

Urban fires accompanied by wildfire smoke, like what happens in Los Angeles, don’t happen very often, and scientists are just beginning to study the effects.

These urban wildfires release a mix of chemicals from paint, metals, plastics and other synthetic materials beyond what comes from burning vegetation, says Dr. John Palmes, a professor emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco.

Smoke from regular wildfires is “bad enough,” Barnes said. “When synthetic materials burn, they emit more toxic substances.”

For example, Palmes says that such fires start benzenea known cancer-causing agent, which researchers have linked to plastic tubes In a previous urban wildfire in California in 2018.

The health effects of exposure to wildfire smoke over several seasons is a new topic for scientists.

Who is most vulnerable?

when People with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who inhale wildfire smoke are more likely to have their condition worsen, which could lead to an asthma attack, for example. People with lung disease are encouraged to update their medications when wildfire smoke is in the air, says Colleen Reed, an associate professor of geography at the University of Colorado Boulder who studies the health effects of smoke exposure. Air pollution from forest fires.

Since we lose some of the ability to tolerate or deal with short-term damage from smoke as we age, older people are also more vulnerable to ill effects, Carlsten says.

But children are also at greater risk from poor air quality during wildfires because their lungs are still developing, according to Balmes.

For pregnant women, pollutants from wildfire smoke can also affect Fetus.

Lasting effects

What is known about the chronic health effects of wildfire smoke comes from wildland firefighters, who often work without the breathing equipment of city firefighters.

The long-term effects have not been studied, however Balmis co-authored a study Which extrapolated chronic health effects based on workers’ known exposure to fine particulate matter.

“We found an increased risk of death from heart or cardiovascular disease and lung cancer,” he said.

Another study conducted by researchers at McGill University in Montreal also suggests the presence of lung and brain Cancer risk Associated with long-term exposure to wildfire smoke.