By Robyn White
Nature Reporter
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The toxic air engulfing New York City could have shortened people's lives by an hour, as some experts estimate the air can have the same effect on the body as smoking several cigarettes.
A series of wildfires in Canada sent plumes of smoke into the atmosphere, blanketing New York City and the tri-state area this week. Health officials in New York have told residents to wear face masks outside for their own protection.
On Wednesday afternoon, New York City was covered in a bright orange haze and its air quality was described as the worst in the world. Some scientists have estimated that breathing the air in New York City could be the equivalent of smoking six cigarettes a day.
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The Air Quality Index in some parts of New York is over 300 on the scale as of writing, which is classified as "hazardous." According to a 2020 Stanford University study, an index reading of 20 is the same as smoking one cigarette a day.
Each cigarette shortens a person's life by 11 minutes, according to the National Institute of Health, so if the smoke in New York City really is the equivalent of smoking six cigarettes, residents could have already lost an hour of their life.
However, this can be difficult to predict for certain.
Abbas Kanani, a pharmacist at Chemist Click Online Pharmacy, told Newsweek: "Inhaling smoke from any source can have negative health effects and comparing it to the number of cigarettes can be challenging due to the variations in composition and toxicity of different types of smoke. Other factors, such as the duration and intensity of exposure also play a significant role in determining the potential health impact."
Christopher Migliaccio, a research associate professor in toxicology at the University of Montana, told Newsweek that the full impact of the Canadian wildfires is not yet known, but such incidents bring several health risks.
"We know that the longer the smoke is in the atmosphere—aging—there is a greater risk of chemical changes creating more free radicals that are highly reactive and have the potential to cause adverse health effects," Migliaccio said.
He advised residents to take "steps to decrease the dose by limiting exposure with various strategies: leaving, using filters, decreasing activity."
People with respiratory issues need to be particularly careful.
"Both respiratory and cardiovascular at-risk people can have complications from large smoke exposures. These include exacerbation of asthma/COPD and increasing risk of a cardiovascular event," Migliaccio said.
Wildfire smoke contains various particles and gasses that can be hazardous to human health. In the short term, risks may include irritation to the nose, eyes, lungs and throat, as well as an increased chance of respiratory infections.
"This is an area of ongoing research to determine how long some of these effects can last," Migliaccio said. "There was a study a few years ago that looked at the lag-time of the effects of a large exposure on the subsequent flu season—by Landguth et al. There is also the question, still to be answered, of the potential of added effects of multiple exposures."
Update 06/08/23, 11:31 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Abbas Kanani.
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