Smoke from wildfires has worsened over the past decade, potentially reversing decades of improvements in Western air quality made under the Clean Air Act, according to research published Thursday from Stanford University.
The new analysis reveals a picture of daily exposure to wildfire smoke in better geographic detail than ever before.
Where Wildfire Smoke Pollution Increased Over the Past Decade 0 0.25 0.5 1 2 4+ micrograms of PM2.5 Seattle Spokane WASH. Portland MAINE Missoula MONT.
FLA. Micrograms of PM2.5 0 0.25 0.5 1 2 4+ Note: Map shows increase in average wildfire smoke from 2006-2010 to 2016-2020.
The research isolated wildfire smoke from background pollution from other sources, which has actually decreased in recent decades.