- The combined effect of unusually high temperatures and airborne particles from uncontrolled wildfires may double the risk of having a heart attack, according to a new study.
- The study analyzed heart attack and temperature records for 5 years in China’s Jiangsu province to draw associations between the two.
- When air quality is poor, avoid going outside if possible, or wear an N95 mask if you do. In extreme heat, try to limit outside activities as well.
June 2023 was Earth’s hottest month in the 174 years that scientists have been tracking global temperatures, and July appears to be every bit as torrid. More than 1,000 high-temperature records have been broken in the United States so far this summer.
The heat has also dried out large swaths of vegetation, creating a massive source of wildfire fuel.
About 1,090 active fires are currently burning throughout Canada as of this writing, and wildfires have been burning there for weeks. The wildfires have sent continuous smoke clouds of fine particulate matter aloft, affecting a wide geographic area and potentially threatening the health of millions of North Americans.
A new study from researchers in China describes how dangerous the combination of extreme hot weather — and to a lesser extent, extreme cold weather — and airborne particulate matter can be.
The study found that extreme high temperatures combined with fine particulate matter in the air — such as the sort sent aloft by wildfires — can double one’s risk of a myocardial infarction, or heart attack.
The fine particles discussed in the article are called PM 2.5, which is short for “particulate matter, 2.5 micrometers or smaller.” They are tiny pieces of solids or liquids floating in the air, and may or may not be visible.
According to the
While PM 2.5 may come from construction sites, cars, and other…
Read the full article here