Long-term health effects of wildfire smoke exposure a growing concern

Smoke from Saskatchewan's wildfires may have largely dissipated for now, but researchers say the effects on people's health can linger.

Sarah Henderson, director of environmental health services with British Columbia's Centre for Disease Control, said researchers are finding the health effects of exposure to wildfire smoke go beyond acute symptoms like coughing and sore throats.

"There's some pretty cool and slightly scary new studies around dementia, for example, where people who were exposed to wildfire smoke were at much higher risk of developing dementia than people who were exposed to air pollution from other sources," Henderson told CBC's The Morning Edition.

The studies have particular resonance in Saskatchewan.

Much of the province spent the first two weeks of June under air quality warnings as thick smoke from out-of-control northern wildfires cloaked towns and cities, forcing the cancellation of some outdoor events and prompting some people to start wearing masks when venturing outdoors.

While the smoke has cleared in recent days, the province is just at the start of wildfire season.

Henderson said it's particularly important that people with existing illnesses remain indoors during smoky days, but they aren't the only ones that need to limit their exposure to smoke.

She said studies are showing that exposure to wildfire smoke increases the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and respiratory disease.

It's also dangerous for pregnant women.

"We know that being exposed to wildfire smoke during pregnancy is associated with slightly lower birth weight among children. It can be associated with pre-term birth and even very severe outcomes like still birth," Henderson said.

She said that along with reducing time spent outdoors during smoky weather, people should check their homes for any gaps that might let smoke in, such as dryer and kitchen vents.

Henderson also recommended air filtration systems to help improve indoor air quality.

Mitigating the smoke 

Dealing with smoke-filled air isn't new to people living in northern Saskatchewan.

Tammy Cook-Searson, chief of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB), said people living in the north deal with wildfire smoke every summer.

After wildfires in 2015 choked the province with smoke, Cook-Searson said the LLRIB invested in "air scrubbers," to help purify indoor air.

The scrubbers are installed at halls in LLRIB's six separate communities to provide fresh-air shelters for residents who need to escape the smoke-filled air.

"We find them to be really effective. They really clean the air," said Cook-Searson.

The scrubbers are also permanently installed in band offices and health clinics.

"Without an air scrubber the wildfire smoke just seeps into the home or the buildings. It just kind of lingers in there," Cook-Searson said.

She said using the scrubbers in fresh-air shelters also allows the LLRIB to keep people in their communities until an evacuation is ordered.

"Especially if you have asthma or any chronic lung disease, it really impacts [you]," she said.

"You can't run around as fast. The smoke really gets into your lungs."

Cook-Searson said local doctors have noticed the difference in air quality between the La Ronge Hospital, which didn't have a scrubber, and the LLRIB health centres.

"We advised them to get one and they've been able to get an air scrubber at the hospital too."

Cook-Searson said the LLRIB's next step is to find a way to get air scrubbers into people's homes.