The air quality in New York City is so toxic that the residents smoke cigarettes. A new report claimed that the condition could have shortened the lives of the locals by an hour, just like smoking cigarettes do.
Toxic Air in New York City Due to Canadian Wildfire
This week, smoke plumes from several Canadian wildfires covered New York City and the tri-state region. In order to protect themselves, health officials in New York have advised residents to wear face masks outside.
On Wednesday afternoon, New York City's air quality was rated the worst in the world due to a vivid orange haze that engulfed the city. According to some studies, inhaling the air in New York City could be as harmful as smoking six cigarettes daily, Newsweek reported.
A 2020 Stanford University study revealed an index rating of 20 equals smoking one cigarette daily. As of writing, the Air Quality Index in some areas of New York is over 300 on the scale, which is categorized as "hazardous."
Per the National Institutes of Health, smoking one cigarette reduces a person's life expectancy by 11 minutes. If the smoke in New York City is the same as smoking six cigarettes, individuals may have already lost an hour of their lives.
It can be challenging to know for sure, though.
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Negative Effect of Inhaling Smoke
The numerous gases and particles in wildfire smoke can harm human health. Short-term hazards could include an elevated risk of respiratory infections and nose, eyes, lung, and throat irritation.
Abbas Kanani, a chemist at Click Online Pharmacy, the pharmacist told Newsweek that breathing in smoke from any source can harm one's health. However, it can be difficult to compare this to smoking a certain amount of cigarettes because different sources of smoke differ in their chemical makeup and toxicity.
The length and intensity of the exposure are two additional elements that greatly impact the potential health effects. The wildfires have also covered Philadelphia, Jersey City, and New Haven, Connecticut, with smoke.
As a research associate professor of toxicology at the University of Montana, Christopher Migliaccio told Newsweek that while the full effects of the Canadian wildfires are still unknown, they pose several health hazards.
According to him, they are aware that when smoke ages and remains in the environment for a longer period, there is a higher chance that chemical reactions may produce more highly reactive free radicals, which could negatively affect one's health. They are still evaluating and characterizing these exposures since, like everything in toxicology, the dose determines the poison.
He shared some tips to the residents to decrease those by limiting their exposure to it, like using filters and reducing activities, especially outdoors. He also warned those with respiratory conditions to take extra caution.
People at risk for respiratory and cardiovascular problems may experience issues after being exposed to a lot of smoke. According to Migliaccio, they aggravate asthma or COPD and increase the risk of a cardiovascular incident.
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