08/25/2023

Canadian Wildfire Smoke Led to Spike in Asthma ER Visits

This was especially prevalent in New York

The smoke from Canadian wildfires that drifted into the U.S. led to a spike in people with asthma visiting emergency rooms—particularly in the New York area.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published two studies Thursday about the health impacts of the smoke, which shrouded city skylines with an orange haze in late spring. A medical journal also released a study this week.

When air quality worsens, “an asthmatic feels it before anyone else,” said Dr. Adrian Pristas, a pulmonologist based in Hazlet, New Jersey, who remembered a flood of calls from patients in June during the days of the heaviest smoke.

Please select this link to read the complete article from TIME.