United States: Many parts of Canada are experiencing more wildfires, as at least 200 have charred more than 10,000 square miles (26,000 square kilometers) since January, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre said on Thursday, June 5.
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Owing to the worsening situation, enormous smoke crossed the Canada-US border and reached the state of Florida, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.
Because wildfires are lasting and becoming more widespread due to climate change, it is vital to learn about the dangers of smoking.
The latest findings show that wildfire smoke can influence health in various ways and can result in consequences that go outside the lungs.
The Upsetting Truth About What Wildfire Smoke Does to Your Body https://t.co/EI0ciEUWJO
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) June 9, 2025
According to Guang Wei, assistant professor of environmental medicine at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, recently told the Harvard Gazette, “There is an urgent need for research to fully understand the health impacts of wildfire smoke to raise awareness among public and health professionals, as well as to support the development of effective regulations to mitigate the impacts,” gizmodo.com reported.
The latest research by Wei, published in May in Epidemiology, reveals that problems with the lungs and heart from wildfire smoke can last for up to three months after the fire is kept under control.
They found that this middle-term exposure raised someone’s chances of getting heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, pneumonia, chronic lung disease, and asthma.
“Even brief exposures from smaller fires that last only a few days can lead to long-lasting health effects,” Wei mentioned in Harvard Gazette.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that wildfire smoke is made of several gases, air pollutants, water, and very small particulates called PM2.5.
It is made up of hazardous substances such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and some of them are harmful carcinogens.
Latest studies show that wildfire smoke may include microbes and fungi that can cause different diseases.