How Wildfire Smoke Exposure Affects Your Health

Smoke from a fire can have a dangerous impact on your physical and mental health, even from thousands of miles away.

Wildfire seasons are becoming more and more devastating and damaging for everyone.

Wildfires aren’t just dangerous for the people and wildlife living directly around the flames, but also for those nearby who are exposed to heavy smoke. And because smoke can travel long distances, even people thousands of miles away from the fires can feel their effects.

Scientists are actively learning about the harms linked to wildfire smoke, but early findings suggest that wildfire smoke can have a seriously detrimental effect on our short and long-term health.

Why breathing in wildfire smoke is harmful

Wildfire smoke contains a mixture of gases, liquids and solid particles. What concerns scientists the most about wildfire smoke is the fine particulate matter (called PM 2.5), or small pieces of liquid and gas that can stay suspended in the air.