Canadian Wildfires Spread to US, Threatening Public Health

Wildfires across Canada and the United States have threatened public health across the regions. As communities go up in flames, toxic chemicals are released into the environment, damaging lungs and exacerbating health issues.

According to the World Health Organization, the adverse health effects associated with wildfires reach farther than the fatalities caused by the event. The organization notes that wildfire smoke contains air pollutants and particulate matter that can affect human health.

"Wildfire smoke itself is quite a complex mixture, and it's made up of fine particles and a number of other gases, which are toxic, mainly due to the fact that wildfires burn everything so more toxic than household fires because everything has been burned," Kimberly Humphrey, MD, MPH, a climate change and human health fellow at the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told ABC News.

Smoke and ashes from these incidences can cause burns, injuries, eye, nose, throat, and lung irritation, declining lung function, coughing, wheezing, pulmonary inflammation, bronchitis, worsening asthma, and exacerbation of cardiovascular disease.

Beyond symptoms associated with particulate matter and pollutants, wildfires also release increased amounts of mercury into the air, impairing speech, hearing, movement, and vision.

Although symptoms are more likely to affect high-risk patient populations, including infants, young children, pregnant individuals, and older adults, people of all ages can have adverse reactions to wildfires.

A recent tweet from the CDC recommended that those in areas affected by wildfires stay in rooms that can be closed off to outside air, do their best to remain indoors, and set up air purifiers or filters, when possible, to help filter out some air pollutants. Patients with chronic respiratory conditions should also keep any required medications on hand.

While these suggestions are helpful guides to dealing with the ongoing crisis, they are not a long-term solution.

The eruption and rapid spread of these wildfires, exacerbated by hot, dry temperatures, highlight a critical concern associated with climate change. In addition to a multitude of intangible evidence supporting the idea that climate change impacts human health negatively, wildfires have provided tangible proof of rising temperatures and their impact on wellness.

As more and more data supports these claims, public health experts and government officials are tasked with finding solutions to minimize climate change.