more deadly than fires, smoke risks wreaking havoc

ENVIRONMENT – This is a danger that we don’t necessarily think about when we see the images of the fires in Los Angeles which continue to devastate the city. Much less visible, it nevertheless remains deadly and can become a public health issue in the long term: smoke from fires and the air pollution it causes.

“The smoke was significant with larger particles, ash, soot, Dr. Afif El-Hasan, spokesperson for the American Lung Association National, told Reuters. in our video at the top of the article. We are therefore seeing an increase in people going to emergency rooms and going to the doctor, not only in this area, but also in surrounding areas, because of the spread of fine particles. »

When the fire spreads, it burns plants and trees in its path but also houses and cars which contain electronics, plastics and various metals. The fumes that emerge therefore carry gases and particles that are much more harmful than usual air pollution and which can enter our body.

“Particles are classified according to their size. For example, we will call them PM for “particles”, we will say PM10 for particles having a size of ten microns. It’s smaller than a hairdetails with the HuffPost Cathy Clerbaux, researcher at CNRS. And there are even finer particles, called PM 2.5, so it’s 2.5 microns. And the smaller they are, the more they will be able to penetrate the body. »

“The heart put under pressure”

So what happens in the body when a person breathes these particles? If we immediately think of the lungs, they are not the only organs to be affected. The entire cardiovascular system can be damaged.

“Other parts of the body can also be affected, such as the heart. Since your body has to work harder to breathe, it can also put pressure on the heart, specifies Dr Afif El-Hasan to Reuters. And that’s why you see an increase in heart attacks when air pollution is high, or when there are a lot of particles in the air, such as during wildfires. »

Several studies have also shown a link between air pollution caused by forest fires and an increase in cardiovascular problems such as strokes or heart attacks. But the consequences of this pollution can also occur in the long term, for example with the appearance of cancer.

Although it is too early to determine the exact impact of the Los Angeles fires on its population, this Australian study shows that air pollution from wildfires causes more than 1.5 million deaths each year in the world.

A danger to be taken into account even more with global warming caused by human activity, since this disruption increases the frequency and intensity of forest fires. To give you an idea, the number of these events more than doubled between 2003 and 2023.

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