American children are increasingly exposed to air pollution as wildfire smoke becomes more common, and some schools and childcare centers struggle to keep indoor breathing conditions clean, a new national study shows.
American children are increasingly exposed to air pollution as wildfire smoke becomes more common, and some schools and childcare centers struggle to keep indoor breathing conditions clean, a new national study shows.
The researchers note that components of wildfire smoke, including PM2.5, which is fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller, are known health hazards, especially for adolescents and younger children.
For the study, published in Environmental Research, scientists looked at air quality data from across the United States from 2006 through 2023 and found some alarming trends, said co-author Molly Kile of Oregon State University.
“The average number of annual smoke days at public schools rose from 6.8 to 54.4 between the beginning and end of the study period,” said Kile, an environmental epidemiologist in the OSU College of Health. “Childcare centers experienced an increase from 9.4 to 112.2 days. Our children are collectively experiencing billions of days of smoky air each year.”
Read More: Oregon State University
Image: Skies over a neighborhood are dark orange due to smoke from a wildfire in Oregon. (Credit: Michelle Klampe, Oregon State University)
