Researchers said Wednesday that ozone and smoke are dangerous air pollutants that are occurring in tandem with an increase in frequencies in parts of the Western United States where millions of people live.
Researchers think that the increase in pollutants is linked to climate change.
The lead author of a study that analyzed summer air pollution data from 2000 to 2020 said that the trends are congruent with what he would expect with a warming and drying climate. We would expect to see more of these events in the Western U.S.
Smog is a large component of ozone, and is produced when vehicle and other emissions react with sunlight, especially on hot summer days. Smoke contains fine soot particles, which are called PM 2.5 because they are smaller than 2.5 micrometers.
The lungs and cardiovascular system can be affected by high levels of either pollutant. When they occur at the same time, you are getting the worst of both worlds, according to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and one of the authors of the study.
The idea for the research came from discussions among colleagues. He said that everyone in the West has experienced these extreme wildfire smoke episodes. It was possible that there would be more days of extreme smoke.
We just said, okay, but to what extent is this actually the case?
The geographic extent of smoke and ozone occurrences was linked to the extent of wildfires and extreme hot weather by the researchers.
Millions of people in the Western United States were exposed to more days of harmful smoke and ozone pollution between 2000 and 2020 according to a study.
The researchers found a connection between pollution and the development of stagnant zones of high-pressure air. These zones can lead to increasing heat and drying that can cause wildfires to ignite and spread more readily, and can also cause dangerous heat waves. The research shows that the ridging patterns have increased since 2000.
The study only looked at data through 2020. Mr. Kalashnikov said that 2021 would show up high on some of the metrics. There were a number of huge wildfires in the West last summer that spread smoke across the region.
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Colleen Reid, a health geographer at the University of Colorado who has studied the combined effects of wildfire smoke and ozone but was not involved in this research, said the findings showed that the amount of PM 2.5 pollution in the West is changing and now overlaps with high-ozone days.
She said that we have been having bad air quality as well as extreme heat.
The recommended public health measures for extreme heat and extreme air pollution can be completely different for those who cannot afford air conditioning, which is why the study highlights how heat has to be taken into account when it comes to helping the public cope with air pollution.
When it is hot, you want to open your windows so that you don't get overheated. When the air quality is bad, you want to close your windows.
The short-term dangers to individuals and communities are usually the most attention given. The study looks at the longer-term risks to the public.
He said something may not have a high chance of killing you. The societal burden is very high if you impose that same risk on tens of millions of people over and over again.
