As summer kicks off and the days grow longer, many people are eager to head outdoors. But for a growing number of people, the start of summer also means there is a greater possibility of smoke in the air. This summer, smoke from wildfires in Canada caused hazy skies and air quality alerts across much of the Midwest and Northeast – the latest reminder of the growing health threats posed by wildfires. And states across the country, including North Carolina, New Jersey and California, experienced ‘out of wildfire season’ activity that prompted air quality alerts. Wildfires are becoming more frequent and more severe. And more people are experiencing smoke exposure than ever before. One of the key findings from this year’s “State of the Air” report was that wildfires are worsening air quality across the U.S., putting more people’s health at risk. The report looked at levels of particle pollution (aka “soot”) and ground-level ozone pollution (aka “smog”) across the country. Here, we take a deeper dive into how wildfires are increasing levels of both particle and ozone pollution, what this means for your health, and what you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones.

What’s in Wildfire Smoke?
Wildfire smoke contains a complex mixture of pollutants, including particle pollution, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides that are harmful to health. Fine particles are the principal health threat in wildfire smoke. These particles are smaller than the diameter of a human hair and can penetrate deep into the lungs. VOCs and nitrogen oxides, when mixed with sunlight, can form ozone pollution, which is a powerful lung irritant (Figure 1).

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