Conflicting studies on health impacts of wildfire smoke
- One study found the smoke no more harmful than a high pollen day
- Other research suggests there could still be cardiovascular risks
- Evolving science can be complex, but people should still pay attention
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(NewsNation) — Recent studies have shown conflicting information on the health impacts of wildfire smoke, but that doesn’t mean people should tune out the advice.
One new study recently suggested that the health impacts of wildfire smoke are no worse than that of a high pollen count. While that’s reassuring news, Dr. Renee Matthews told NewsNation there is still more research to be done.
“That study did not study diseases that were not affecting the lungs,” she explained.
Other research has suggested that wildfire smoke could cause cardiovascular complications, including an increased risk of blood clots.
“We do still need to be careful for those people that have heart disease,” Matthews said.
The same, she said, is true for people with other risk factors, like those who have compromised immune systems.
While studies may show differing results, Matthews said that doesn’t mean people should tune out warnings and information from public health officials.
“A great thing about science. Science is ever-evolving, right,” Matthews said. “Science is always changing. So you do want to keep up with what’s going on, because things are changing all the time.”
