On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, we're discussing the health impacts of wildfires. There are over 400 toxins associated with wildfire smoke, including carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and other fine particulate matters.
During the 2020 wildfires, the Bay Area experienced a record 30 straight days of bad air quality alerts in August and September. How does fire, smoke and poor air quality affect our health and how can we protect ourselves? How are state and local officials planning to protect the most vulnerable communities?
Guests:
Dr. Francesca Dominici, professor of Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and co-director of the Data Science Initiative at Harvard University
Dr. Keith Bein, associate professional researcher at the Air Quality Research Center and Research Professor at the Center for Health and the Environment at UC Davis
Web Resources:
The Washington Post: A growing problem after wildfires: Toxic chemicals
The Los Angeles Times: Wildfire smoke now causes up to half the fine-particle pollution in Western U.S., study finds
The New York Times: California’s Air Quality Is Poor. Here’s How to Protect Yourself