Comment: Into thick air
I recall the air smelling like an ashtray. Not a richly pungent cigar ashtray either. Acrid. Repugnant. This was 2023 when Quebec’s wildfire smoke made a tour de force through southern Ontario and into the U.S., shuttering children inside and hazing the gaze of those of us in disbelief that a fire so far from home could disrupt life like this…

Wildfire smoke has increasingly impacted air quality across vast regions, including areas far from the fires themselves. This editorial explores the health risks associated with wildfire smoke, the global air quality crisis, and the future of protective equipment for firefighters.
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Wildfire smoke more hazardous to brain health than other air pollution, new study shows
A new study shows exposure to wildfire smoke increases the risk of being diagnosed with dementia more than other types of air pollution.

The study examined the effect of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a microscopic mixture of solid and liquid droplets in the air that are 30 times smaller than the width of an average human hair, which is a type of air pollution emitted by wildfire smoke, motor vehicles, and factories.

Key Statistics from Wildfire Smoke Study

• Duration of the study: 10 years
• Study population: 1.2 million people in southern California
• Date of report: July 29
• Increase in odds of dementia diagnosis due to wildfire PM2.5 exposure: 21 per cent per microgram per meter
• Increase in odds of dementia diagnosis due to non-wildfire PM2.5 exposure: Three per cent per three micrograms per meter
• Proportion of PM2.5 exposure due to wildfires on poor air quality days in California: more than 70 per cent
• Study population analyzed: 1,227,241 socioeconomically diverse individuals aged 60 years or older Study period: 2009 to 2019

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