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What wildfire smoke means for your heath

News Feed
Wednesday, January 8, 2025

The fires burning across Los Angeles County have caused billowing dark plumes of smoke, posing a major health threat even as quick-moving flames blowtorched homes, schools and other buildings.As the fires continue to rage and air quality worsens, the risk of health problems escalate. That’s because wildfire smoke contains fine particulates, known as PM2.5, which are one-seventieth the width of a single human hair and can easily infiltrate the heart and lungs.While the fires are currently concentrated on the West Coast, the threat isn’t limited to that region. Residents around the country need to be cautious because wildfire smoke can travel, said Susan Anenberg, chair of environmental and occupational health department at George Washington University.“The smoke is not containable. The smoke goes where it goes,” Anenberg said.Here’s what you need to know about the health effects of wildfire smoke and how to protect yourself.What are the components of wildfire smoke?PM2.5 from wildfire smoke is an invisible, yet dangerous component of smoke and soot.Wildfire smoke is particularly harmful because it includes other hazardous chemicals produced from burning common household products such as electronics, plastics, aerosols and other items, Anenberg said. The mix of materials from homes, vehicles and buildings is enough to cause concerns about short- and long-term biological harm, she said.What are the health risks of smoke exposure?PM2.5 particulates are so small that they can be inhaled through your lungs and enter the bloodstream. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, PM2.5 “is the air pollutant of greatest concern to public health from wildfire smoke.”“Once [the particles are] in the bloodstream they can affect every organ of the body,” Anenberg said.And the harmful particles aren’t isolated to outdoor air: Both indoor and outdoor air can be affected by air pollution and can cause health damage.Exposure can trigger short-term respiratory problems such as coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing and asthma exacerbation, according to the EPA. Breathing in smoke can also irritate your sinuses, throat and eyes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Anenberg said black particles in your nose also indicate exposure.In more severe cases, exposure is linked to heart attacks and stroke, as well as lung cancer and damage to cognitive functions. There is also a growing body of research that links wildfire smoke to long-term neurological effects such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.“Whether or not those turn into some health outcome, some subset of people that have that exposure will experience effects and cardiovascular effects,” Anenberg said.Is it safe to breathe wildfire smoke? And in what quantities?The EPA strengthened its limits on fine particulate matter last February, lowering the annual soot standard to 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air, down 12 micrograms. The National Ambient Air Quality Standards still recommends 35 micrograms per cubic meter in a 24-hour period.But during wildfires and smoky conditions, concentrations tend to get higher than that. Anenberg said there can still be health effects at and below the EPA threshold.The Air Quality Index — a measure of outdoor air pollution — can also be a helpful tool in determining the safety of air. The index ranges from 0 to 500. Healthy or Code Green is considered below 50. Code Orange means that the AQI is between 101 and 150, meaning that sensitive groups may experience health effects but the general public is unlikely to be affected. Code Red, 151 to 200, means that the air is unhealthy for more members of the public. Code Purple, 201 to 300, means that everyone faces increased health effects. Code Maroon, 301 to 500, is considered hazardous for everyone and could trigger strong irritations and health effects for the general public.To Irva Hertz-Picciotto, director of the University of California Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center, the more particulate matter people breathe, the higher their risk for respiratory issues and other adverse health harms.“We know that the more particulate matter, the worse,” she said.How deadly is air pollution?PM2.5 smoke in general is associated with premature death, Anenberg said. “These fine particles are some of the worst offenders when it comes to global health risk factors,” she said.The World Health Organization states that indoor and outdoor air pollution is associated with 7 million premature deaths annually. Research published by the Lancet Planetary Health journal found that air pollution continues to be the world’s largest environmental health threat and accounted for 6.7 million premature deaths in 2019.Children, the elderly and those with preexisting conditions are most vulnerable to high levels of PM2.5, said Joel Kaufman, professor of environmental health and medicine at the University of Washington, and in some cases it can lead to death.What you can do to protect yourselfEveryone is vulnerable to the risks posed by wildfire smoke — even healthy people, according to the CDC.Here’s what experts suggest you do to keep yourself safe:Remove yourself from the threat. If you’re under an evacuation order and are able to evacuate, do it. Moving away from the flames could help reduce high levels of exposure. While you’re driving, put the air on the recirculate setting.Wear a mask. The type of mask matters. Because the particles from wildfire smoke are so fine, experts recommend wearing an N95 mask — ones that we are all familiar with from the pandemic — to block particles.Reduce your exposure. Close your windows and doors to protect the indoor environment. You can try to filter the particles before they enter your home by using an air filter or a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system with good-quality air filters. A portable air purifier can also help. “You want to be trying to remove the particles from the outdoor air before it gets into the indoor environment or remove it from the air once it’s within the indoor environment,” Anenberg said.Be aware of your local air quality. There are numerous apps and websites that provide real-time data on air quality.Allyson Chiu contributed to this report.

As fires rage in the Los Angeles area, the health risks from air pollution mount. Here’s what to know.

The fires burning across Los Angeles County have caused billowing dark plumes of smoke, posing a major health threat even as quick-moving flames blowtorched homes, schools and other buildings.

As the fires continue to rage and air quality worsens, the risk of health problems escalate. That’s because wildfire smoke contains fine particulates, known as PM2.5, which are one-seventieth the width of a single human hair and can easily infiltrate the heart and lungs.

While the fires are currently concentrated on the West Coast, the threat isn’t limited to that region. Residents around the country need to be cautious because wildfire smoke can travel, said Susan Anenberg, chair of environmental and occupational health department at George Washington University.

“The smoke is not containable. The smoke goes where it goes,” Anenberg said.

Here’s what you need to know about the health effects of wildfire smoke and how to protect yourself.

What are the components of wildfire smoke?

PM2.5 from wildfire smoke is an invisible, yet dangerous component of smoke and soot.

Wildfire smoke is particularly harmful because it includes other hazardous chemicals produced from burning common household products such as electronics, plastics, aerosols and other items, Anenberg said. The mix of materials from homes, vehicles and buildings is enough to cause concerns about short- and long-term biological harm, she said.

What are the health risks of smoke exposure?

PM2.5 particulates are so small that they can be inhaled through your lungs and enter the bloodstream. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, PM2.5 “is the air pollutant of greatest concern to public health from wildfire smoke.”

“Once [the particles are] in the bloodstream they can affect every organ of the body,” Anenberg said.

And the harmful particles aren’t isolated to outdoor air: Both indoor and outdoor air can be affected by air pollution and can cause health damage.

Exposure can trigger short-term respiratory problems such as coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing and asthma exacerbation, according to the EPA. Breathing in smoke can also irritate your sinuses, throat and eyes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Anenberg said black particles in your nose also indicate exposure.

In more severe cases, exposure is linked to heart attacks and stroke, as well as lung cancer and damage to cognitive functions. There is also a growing body of research that links wildfire smoke to long-term neurological effects such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

“Whether or not those turn into some health outcome, some subset of people that have that exposure will experience effects and cardiovascular effects,” Anenberg said.

Is it safe to breathe wildfire smoke? And in what quantities?

The EPA strengthened its limits on fine particulate matter last February, lowering the annual soot standard to 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air, down 12 micrograms. The National Ambient Air Quality Standards still recommends 35 micrograms per cubic meter in a 24-hour period.

But during wildfires and smoky conditions, concentrations tend to get higher than that. Anenberg said there can still be health effects at and below the EPA threshold.

The Air Quality Index — a measure of outdoor air pollution — can also be a helpful tool in determining the safety of air. The index ranges from 0 to 500. Healthy or Code Green is considered below 50. Code Orange means that the AQI is between 101 and 150, meaning that sensitive groups may experience health effects but the general public is unlikely to be affected. Code Red, 151 to 200, means that the air is unhealthy for more members of the public. Code Purple, 201 to 300, means that everyone faces increased health effects. Code Maroon, 301 to 500, is considered hazardous for everyone and could trigger strong irritations and health effects for the general public.

To Irva Hertz-Picciotto, director of the University of California Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center, the more particulate matter people breathe, the higher their risk for respiratory issues and other adverse health harms.

“We know that the more particulate matter, the worse,” she said.

How deadly is air pollution?

PM2.5 smoke in general is associated with premature death, Anenberg said. “These fine particles are some of the worst offenders when it comes to global health risk factors,” she said.

The World Health Organization states that indoor and outdoor air pollution is associated with 7 million premature deaths annually. Research published by the Lancet Planetary Health journal found that air pollution continues to be the world’s largest environmental health threat and accounted for 6.7 million premature deaths in 2019.

Children, the elderly and those with preexisting conditions are most vulnerable to high levels of PM2.5, said Joel Kaufman, professor of environmental health and medicine at the University of Washington, and in some cases it can lead to death.

What you can do to protect yourself

Everyone is vulnerable to the risks posed by wildfire smoke — even healthy people, according to the CDC.

Here’s what experts suggest you do to keep yourself safe:

  • Remove yourself from the threat. If you’re under an evacuation order and are able to evacuate, do it. Moving away from the flames could help reduce high levels of exposure. While you’re driving, put the air on the recirculate setting.
  • Wear a mask. The type of mask matters. Because the particles from wildfire smoke are so fine, experts recommend wearing an N95 mask — ones that we are all familiar with from the pandemic — to block particles.
  • Reduce your exposure. Close your windows and doors to protect the indoor environment. You can try to filter the particles before they enter your home by using an air filter or a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system with good-quality air filters. A portable air purifier can also help. “You want to be trying to remove the particles from the outdoor air before it gets into the indoor environment or remove it from the air once it’s within the indoor environment,” Anenberg said.
  • Be aware of your local air quality. There are numerous apps and websites that provide real-time data on air quality.

Allyson Chiu contributed to this report.

Read the full story here.
Photos courtesy of

Related News

Gas stove makers quietly delete air pollution warnings as they fight mandatory health labels

Manufacturers sued to stop a Colorado law requiring air quality warnings, arguing gas stoves are safe. Some of their websites once said the opposite.

The home appliance industry would like you to believe that gas-burning stoves are not a risk to your health — and several companies that make the devices are scrambling to erase their prior acknowledgements that they are.  That claim is at the heart of a lawsuit the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers has filed against the state of Colorado to stop it from requiring natural gas stoves, which burn methane, to carry health labels not unlike those on every pack of cigarettes. “Understand the air quality implications of having an indoor gas stove,” the warning would read. The law was to take effect August 5 but is now on hold, and state officials did not respond to a request for comment. In its federal lawsuit, the Association — whose board includes representatives of LG Electronics, BSH Home Appliance Corp. (which makes Bosch appliances), Whirlpool, and Samsung Electronics — asserts that the labeling requirement is “unconstitutional compelled speech” and illegal under the First Amendment. It calls the legislation a climate law disguised as a health law and, most strikingly, it claims there is “no association between gas stoves and adverse health outcomes.”  Yet LG, BSH, Whirlpool, and Samsung have published information on their websites directly contradicting that claim and lauded the health benefits of electric and induction stoves.  “Traditional gas appliances can emit harmful pollutants, which can compromise indoor air quality and pose health risks,” reads a blog post, titled “Life’s Good When It’s Electrified,” that LG published in May of 2024. “By switching to electric appliances, these risks are substantially reduced, ensuring a cleaner and safer home environment.”  Another LG page noted that “induction surfaces remain cool to the touch and unlike gas, is better for kitchen air quality” as recently as May 25, according to an archived version of the site maintained by Wayback Machine. It was later revised to eliminate mention of gas, reading “Surfaces remain cool to the touch — no open flames or hot coils. No fumes, either, so it’s [sic] air quality-friendly.” BSH’s page on Bosch induction cooktops notes that the devices are “safer to use because unlike other types of cooktops, they do not release indoor air pollutants during cooking.” Whirlpool wrote that induction cooktops might help “reduce indoor air pollutants.”  And until last week, a page on Samsung’s U.S. website said “induction cooktops can … help remove concerns over indoor air pollution, creating a sustainable and healthier home environment. The page’s source code did not appear to have been updated since 2022. Samsung did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but the page was taken down shortly after Grist reached out to the company.  Itai Vardi, a researcher with the Energy and Policy Institute, was the first to notice the discrepancies between what the Association said in its lawsuit and what some of its manufacturers have said in the past. “The statements coming from them directly contradict the very strong language in this lawsuit,” Vardi said. “And that, I think, deserves some scrutiny.” Scientific evidence that gas stoves pollute by releasing dangerous concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, benzene, and methane has accumulated since 1970. Justin Paget / Getty Images In its lawsuit, the Association argues that “the potential health risks of cooking with gas are no different than cooking with electricity” and acknowledging the ways gas-burning appliances can harm respiratory health promotes “non-consensus, scientifically controversial, and factually misleading” messages. It adds that “there is scant scientific support” for disclosing health risks associated with gas appliances.  Asked for comment, the organization referred to a statement it issued August 6 saying “no study has found that gas stoves cause respiratory health issues.”  When reached for comment, a BSH representative stated that the company is as of now “in complete alignment” with the Association’s position. An LG representative noted that the most pollution-acknowledging statements on their website were in fact made by the company’s UK branch, but did not respond to a follow-up question about whether the UK and US divisions disagree on the risks of LG products. “This is a troubling attempt by these companies’ to quickly erase their own public acknowledgement of the dangers of gas stoves,” said Vardi. “But you can scrub your website, not the fact of gas stove pollution.”  Scientific evidence that gas stoves pollute by releasing dangerous concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, benzene, and methane has piled up for the past half-century. In 1970, scientist Carl Shy showed that families exposed to high levels of nitrogen dioxide indoors are at greater risk of asthma and other respiratory illnesses than those who are not. Nine years later, scientist Bernard Goldstein identified the fuel as the likely source of all that nitrogen. A bevy of studies and papers in the decades since came to similar conclusions. One 2022 study estimated that 12 percent of American children with asthma develop that respiratory condition solely due to living in homes with gas stoves.  Appliance manufacturers and the natural gas industry are no stranger to promoting their products regardless of known health risks. “There’s been a campaign by industry to keep the science under wraps or to confuse it, deny it,” said Abe Scarr of the consumer-protection nonprofit Public Interest Working Group.  The lobbyists at the American Gas Association have worked hard to popularize gas stoves: At one point, the organization even provided the stoves Julia Child used in her popular cooking show. The campaign went beyond product placement: When information on the health risks of gas stoves began to emerge in the mid-1970s, industry lobbyists launched “Operation Attack,” a million-dollar marketing campaign to bring the stoves into even more kitchens. This worked: today, about 40% of Americans cook with gas. They also funded their own research, which cast doubt on independent findings on the health risks of gas stoves.  Environmental health sciences professor Misbath Daouda of the University of California, Berkeley, was recently part of a pilot study replacing gas stoves in low-income New York City apartments with induction stoves. Nitrogen dioxide concentrations in those apartments, she said, dropped by over 50 percent within months – and the families who lived there liked their new cooktops better than the old ones, she said.  The association between gas stoves and adverse health outcomes, Daouda said, “is clear.”  “I’m not sure who they are referring to when they say the majority of studies” don’t support that conclusion, she said. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Gas stove makers quietly delete air pollution warnings as they fight mandatory health labels on Sep 17, 2025.

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New Biomarker Could Detect Alzheimer’s Years Before Symptoms Appear

TSPO levels rise early in Alzheimer’s and persist throughout disease. Targeting this biomarker could open new treatment options. TSPO, a major marker of brain inflammation, may offer a way to detect Alzheimer’s disease long before memory problems and other symptoms develop. Findings published in Acta Neuropathologica suggest it could transform both diagnosis and treatment strategies. [...]

A new study suggests that TSPO, a key biomarker of brain inflammation, may reveal the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease long before symptoms appear. Credit: StockTSPO levels rise early in Alzheimer’s and persist throughout disease. Targeting this biomarker could open new treatment options. TSPO, a major marker of brain inflammation, may offer a way to detect Alzheimer’s disease long before memory problems and other symptoms develop. Findings published in Acta Neuropathologica suggest it could transform both diagnosis and treatment strategies. “This is the first study to really examine how early this biomarker increases and where it begins rising in the brain,” said Tomás R. Guilarte, lead researcher and dean of FIU’s Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work. “If we can use this information to help delay Alzheimer’s progression by even five years, it can drastically improve patients’ lives and reduce disease prevalence.” Longstanding research on TSPO Guilarte, a recognized authority on TSPO (translocator protein 18 kDa), has investigated the protein for more than 30 years. His research helped establish it as a dependable imaging marker for identifying neuroinflammation across multiple neurological, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric conditions. Researchers Daniel Martínez Pérez (L) and Dr. Tomás R. Guilarte (R) in the Brain, Behavior and the Environment Laboratory at Florida International University. Guilarte and Martínez Pérez published a study that found TSPO, a key biomarker of brain inflammation, could help detect Alzheimer’s disease years before memory loss and other symptoms set in. Credit: Chris Necuze, Florida International UniversityFor the current study, Guilarte and colleagues applied advanced imaging techniques to track TSPO activity in genetically engineered mouse models of familial Alzheimer’s. They then validated these results using donated brain tissue from members of the world’s largest community with early-onset familial Alzheimer’s, based in Antioquia, Colombia. These families carry the “paisa” mutation, first identified by the late Dr. Francisco Lopera, a co-author of the study who spent his career searching for ways to prevent Alzheimer’s. Individuals with this genetic variant often develop symptoms in their 30s or 40s and typically die in their 50s. L: The original cell image. R: The same cell image zoomed in and rendered in the special imaging software. Microglia (blue) signaling TSPO (red) are clustered around plaques (cyan). Researchers at Florida International University published a study that found TSPO, a key biomarker of brain inflammation, could help detect Alzheimer’s disease years before memory loss and other symptoms set in.  Credit: Chris Necuze, Florida International UniversityEarly changes in the hippocampus In the mouse model, researchers detected elevated TSPO levels in the subiculum – a critical part of the hippocampus – as early as six weeks of age, roughly equivalent to age 18–20 in humans. Microglia, the brain’s main immune cells, specifically those clustered around amyloid plaques, had the highest levels of TSPO. Notably, female mice had higher TSPO levels, mirroring real-world statistics: two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients are women. Daniel Martínez Pérez holds tissue sample. Martínez Pérez, a researcher in Florida International University’s Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, is the first author of a study that found TSPO, a key biomarker of brain inflammation, could help detect Alzheimer’s disease years before memory loss and other symptoms set in. Credit: Chris Necuze, Florida International UniversityThe brain tissue samples from the Colombian patients with the paisa mutation showed the same pattern. Even in late-stage Alzheimer’s, TSPO remained high in microglia near plaques. These results raise new questions about TSPO’s function – whether it contributes to damage or protects the brain – and whether blocking or enhancing it could halt disease progression. Next steps in research The team is now working with a specially developed Alzheimer’s mouse model lacking TSPO to explore these questions further. They’re also expanding the study to include sporadic, late-onset Alzheimer’s cases, the form that accounts for over 90% of all diagnoses. Researchers Dr. Tomás R. Guilarte (L) and Daniel Martínez Pérez (R) in the Brain, Behavior and the Environment Laboratory at Florida International University. Guilarte and Martínez Pérez published a study that found TSPO, a key biomarker of brain inflammation, could help detect Alzheimer’s disease years before memory loss and other symptoms set in. Credit: Chris Necuze, Florida International University“The more we understand these processes,” said Daniel Martínez Pérez, first author and Ph.D. candidate in Guilarte’s lab, “the closer we get to tailoring treatments that can truly help – before it’s too late.” Reference: “Amyloid-β plaque-associated microglia drive TSPO upregulation in Alzheimer’s disease” by Daniel A. Martinez-Perez, Jennifer L. McGlothan, Alexander N. Rodichkin, Karam Abilmouna, Zoran Bursac, Francisco Lopera, Carlos Andres Villegas-Lanau and Tomás R. Guilarte, 17 July 2025, Acta Neuropathologica.DOI: 10.1007/s00401-025-02912-4 This work was supported by grants ES007062-24 to T.R.G. from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), ES007062-23S1 to T.R.G. from the National Institute on Aging, and T32-ES033955 to A.N.R. from the NIEHS. Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily newsletter.

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Trump agencies halt environmental, health projects in Black communities

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By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterFRIDAY, July 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — People using cheap disposable vape devices are likely inhaling high...

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