Climate Change Will Intensify Wildfires, Making Smoke a Serious Health Hazard

November 18, 2013-USA Today is reporting on an analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental action group based in Chicago, showing that in 2011, 212 million Americans (two-in-three of us) lived in areas affected by wildfire smoke.

Citing resulting asthma attacks and aggravation of heart and lung disease symptoms, highlights of the article entitled "Wildfire Smoke Becoming A Serious Health Hazard" include:

Messing With Texas

Based upon 2011 data from U.S. weather satellites, Texas fared the worst, with high-density smoke lingering for a week or more in areas home to 25 million people. Most of that smoke came from wildfires, although some instances included fires set intentionally for forest management.

Other Top Ten States

Even without any recorded wildfires, Illinois ranked second, with nearly 12 million residents affected by high-density smoke from elsewhere. Illinois was followed by Florida, Missouri, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Alabama, Oklahoma and Iowa, in descending order.

Medium to High Smoke, But No Fire

Of 22 states without recorded wildfires, eight had one or more weeks of medium to high-density smoke particulates: Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio.

Fire, But Little Smoke

In only 18 states and the District of Columbia did the study find no residents with exposure to a week or more of smoke, even though five had wildfires: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.

A Worsening Problem

In 2011, 8.7 million acres burned across the nation, followed by 9.3 million acres in 2012. Scientific research points to human-caused climate change.

Thomas Stocker, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Working Group 1, is quoted saying, "Heat waves are very likely to occur more frequently and last longer. Expect to see currently wet regions receiving more rainfall, and dry regions receiving less."

A National Climate Assessment compiled by hundreds of scientists predicted that Western forests are expected to be "increasingly affected by large and intense fires that occur more frequently."

The NRDC urges states to implement more air quality monitoring stations and warn residents of the health risks from wildfire smoke. They urge, "If air quality reports are poor or it looks smoky outside, the group recommends people stay indoors, keep windows closed and avoid using fireplaces or other items that create smoke."

Read the full USA Today post here.

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