Risk of Wildfire Smoke Greater Than Expected for Elderly

A forest fire burns among a residential area

(AmericanProsperity.com) – We’ve seen multiple wildfires break out across the United States over the past couple of years as well as wildfires springing up in Canada blowing smoke across the U.S..

These wildfires have caused an array of problems, but a long-term effect that is beginning to become clear is the effect of smoke on people who live close to these fires. One example of this is in Idaho’s Treasure Valley, home to many senior living facilities. The people at these facilities are more prone to having health problems or being affected by the smoke inhalation they are experiencing.

Luke Montrose, an environmental toxicologist and researcher at Colorado State University said, “An astonishing amount of smoke gets inside these facilities. It was no better to be inside than to be outside during those smoke events.”

It was reported that in a lot of cases, much of this smoke seeped into the facilities. When tested for smoke, some facilities detected 50% of the same smoke levels as outside, while some saw up to 100% of the same smoke detection results. This means that everyone in the facility was being exposed to the dangerous smoke coming from the wildfires.

With this being said, there has been a push to install more monitors inside these care facilities to help keep things safe for the people who are living in them. There has been a lot of talk about the wildfires but it’s officially spreading further throughout the states and affecting many areas.

“We’re going to see more and more smoke events that reach further across the U.S. and the world,” said Savannah D’Evely, who is a postdoctoral scholar of the University of Washington.

Experts also spoke about the protocols when it came to smoky areas. When the air quality is low, many tell people to stay indoors, but these studies have proven that the effects of smoke can get into the facilities and people’s homes, making protection like this and new technology for sensors even more important.

Experts have said that keeping indoor air clean is pretty simple but having monitors is step one of the process, so they can make sure that the facilities are always up to par.