CLIMATE HEALTH ALERT: RISNA Joins 30+ others expressing concern regarding California Wildfires

There are numerous health risks associated with wildfires including direct trauma from burns,
injuries, motor vehicle accidents, and death. Wildfire smoke, in particular, is especially dangerous for
vulnerable groups like the elderly, children, pregnant people, and individuals with pre-existing health
conditions. Wildfire smoke differs from other sources of ambient air pollution,  such as those from traffic and industry. Wildfire smoke emissions are complex both physically and chemically and due to source materials being burned, numerous co-pollutants are present in wildfire smoke. While we know
that there is very clear evidence that short-term exposure to wildfire smoke has immediate effects on respiratory health, there is emerging evidence of the impacts of wildfire smoke on already existing health issues such as diabetic control, kidney disease, and cognition. Wildfires have short-term and
long-term psychological effects on affected people, first responders, and the public. Research has
shown that resiliency, the capacity to handle adverse experiences, diminishes after wildfire exposure.  Read more....