"When wildfire smoke descends over a city or town, as it does increasingly often for tens of millions of people in the American West, public health officials have a simple message: Go inside, shut doors and windows. Limit outdoor activities.

New research shows that may not be enough to protect a person's health.

A series of studies looking at crowdsourced indoor air quality during wildfire smoke events has found that the most insidious part of wildfire smoke — microscopic particles so small they can infiltrate a person's bloodstream, exacerbating respiratory and cardiac problems — can seep through closed doors and shuttered windows, making air hazardous in homes and businesses.

The research shows, in detail for the first time, the depth of the public health risk millions of Americans are being exposed to every climate-fueled fire season. But the findings are also encouraging in that they show there are steps people can take to protect their health."

Nathan Rott reports for NPR September 7, 2021. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Dixie Fire Reaches 900,000 Acres As Crews Battle Multiple Blazes Across California" (Los Angeles Times) [3]

"Responders Are Gaining On The Caldor Fire, But Now They've Got New Blazes To Battle" (NPR) [4]