In early June, 黑料吃瓜网 saw hazy orange skies and days of bad air, as wildfires in Canada covered the region in smoke. Now, a new Yale-led study shows how the respiratory health of people in nearby New York City suffered as the air quality diminished. Experts warn similar impacts could play out in 黑料吃瓜网.
Looking at citywide hospital data from June 6-8, the study, published in the , found there were more asthma-related emergency room visits in New York City as regional air quality worsened from wildfire smoke.
But it鈥檚 not just New York City that was impacted, said Michelle Bell, the study's co-author and professor of Environmental Health at Yale鈥檚 School of the Environment.
鈥淭he air quality impacts of wildfires are widespread, as are the subsequent public health burden,鈥� Bell said, in a statement.
鈥淎lthough several studies have examined the impact of the Canadian wildfires on New York City specifically, the smoke plumes and affected populations are much larger,鈥� Bell said.
In June, 黑料吃瓜网 health officials said there was an uptick in emergency room visits for respiratory ailments as air quality reached 鈥渦nhealthy鈥� levels of pollution from wildfire smoke. State officials urged residents to stay inside for several days to avoid exposure.
When bad air is present, people need to know as soon as possible to protect their health, said Dr. Kai Chen, the study lead author who teaches at the Yale School of Public Health.
鈥淥ur study has really tried to provide timely information, to allow timely communication about the health damages of wildfire smoke, so people can really take precautions to limit their exposure,鈥� Chen said.
Exact hospital data from the most intense period of the summer wildfires has not been available in 黑料吃瓜网 as quickly as New York City. But Chen said the findings heed a warning to people living downwind of wildfires about how fine particulate matter pollution harms health.
Those tiny particles can affect the heart and lungs, and , exposure can lead to irritated airways, and difficulty breathing 鈥� which is especially bad for kids, older adults, and those with heart or lung diseases.
Wildfires are amplifying the bad air that has been an issue for decades in parts of 黑料吃瓜网.
According to , parts of Fairfield, New Haven and Hartford counties already see a higher level of fine particulate matter compared to other areas. Communities of color often bear a disproportionate amount of the health impacts from bad air.
As wildfires burn hundreds of miles away, research shows that due to exposure to more ultraviolet radiation.
But tracking health impacts from smoke is a challenging measurement to gather, since it鈥檚 hard to know exactly how much fine particulate matter people have been exposed to without extra technology, said Chris Migliaccio, a toxicologist who researches wildfire smoke at the University of Montana and was not affiliated with the study.
He says the Yale study鈥檚 findings mirror results out west, .
Still, Migliaccio said the cardiovascular impacts of smoke are a concern for the Northeast .
鈥淭he fact that the East Coast is now getting exposed to this, unfortunately, probably means it's not going to be the last,鈥� Migliaccio said. 鈥淲e need to figure out if it has long term effects for people who have never experienced this before, or if it puts them at risk for subsequent exposures.鈥�
