(screenshot / via AirNow)

 

For folks in the fire science world, the smoke that has engulfed most of the western United States is not surprising. As climate change, years of poor forest management and home development practices come to a head, this could be the new normal in the West. But what no one could predict before 2020 was how a global pandemic would exacerbate the health effects of wildfire smoke.

 

 

Idaho Matters is joined by Luke Montrose, a professor of community and environmental health at Boise State University who studies the effects of wildfire smoke on public health. He wrote a piece in April, well before the fires were sparked, warning of the problems that could come for wildland firefighters during COVID-19.

 

As COVID-19 cases spread through the U.S. and Idaho, we’re committed to keeping you updated and informed. You can get updated info on cases, closures and how to stay healthy at any time on our Coronavirus news blog.

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