The United States ranks as one of the countries with the lowest air pollution, but the country could see an opposite trend if monster wildfires become the new norm as the recent U.S. government climate assessment indicates.
The Camp Fire, which recently became the most deadly and destructive wildfire in California history, bumped three of California's cities on the list of the most polluted cities in the world on Nov. 16.
San Francisco, Sacramento and Stockton were briefly ranked as the world's three most polluted cities during the wildfires, according to Berkeley Earth, a nonprofit that collects data from air-quality monitoring sites.
Countries that often top the list for poor air quality levels include India, China and Bangladesh.
Air pollution in India is due to population growth, increase in the numbers of vehicles, use of fuels, poor transportation systems, poor land use patterns, industrialization, as well as ineffective environmental regulations.
Eherts said investing in in-home air purifiers and smoke masks can also help to limit the health impacts of poor air quality when wildfires spark nearby.
Wildfire smoke includes particles from burning vegetation and building materials mixed with gases. Toxins and fumes are added to the harmful mix when other things burn, like plastic from house fires
All of those particles could affect the people's health such as respiratory system and eyes, especially if somebody already has underlying respiratory problems, like asthma, emphysema, COPD. Smokers could also be affected.
According to Angel Waldron, a spokesperson for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, air pollution can worsen asthma symptoms, and it is also connected to the development of asthma.
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