wildfire smoke

Canada’s extreme wildfire season offers a glimpse of new risks in a warmer, drier future

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The blanket of wildfire smoke that spread across much of the US and Canada in 2023 was a wake-up call and showed what climate change could feel like for millions of people in the near future. However, apocalyptic orange skies and levels of air pollution forcing people indoors only tell part of the story. As … Read more

Wildfires in California created toxic chromium, research shows

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After some recent intense wildfires in Northern California, scientists tested samples of scorched soil and were disturbed by their findings: It was loaded with a carcinogenic metal called hexavalent chromium. Scientists believe the heat from severe wildfires could transform a benign version of the metal, common in California soil, into a notorious carcinogen, according to … Read more