Image Credit: CFJC Today/File Photo

By Silvia Senna

"It's a problem we haven't had to deal with"

UBC study shows exposure to wildfire smoke can lead to dementia, heart and lung problems

Jan 8, 2024 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Wildfires are a common occurence in British Columbia. However, the intensity of these fires and the amount of timber burned has dramatically changed in recent years. That has led a group of UBC professors to research how smoke is affecting residents.

“Sometimes, the air quality levels can still be quite high and quite hazardous, and those periods can last for quite long. People may actually take action for one or two days. But then if they relax over the next week or two, they actually may really be having most of that exposure during that period,” explained Michael Brauer, one of the co-authors of the study published on the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

According to Brauer, wildfire smoke can lead to lung and heart problems, as well as dementia.

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“Our lungs are actually responding to what they think is an infection. This response actually spills over into our entire bloodstream and it can affect other organs,” Brauer explained. “Obviously, it affects the lungs, but now you have this response that’s actually starting to attack our heart. We’re starting to even see effects on things like mental health or even cognition — how people are actually processing information.”

Not everyone is affected in the same way. The B.C. Interior, including the city of Kamloops, is more likely to feel the impacts of the smoke because it is surrounded by mountains.

“Our Interior parts of the province that are surrounded by forests, the wind… mostly tends to go from west to east, so if you’re downwind of a forest area, you’re more likely to be affected,” said Brauer.

It is still unclear how severe the long-term impacts will be. One of the factors is the proximity of the cities and towns to forests.

“Every year, there have been actual whole communities that are burned. That’s also an issue of managing this interface. We’ve tended to now build houses and build our communities right up to forests. And that’s actually a recipe for disaster,” Brauer pointed.

Brauer has advice for those with pre-existing health conditions — they should prepare ahead, before the start of the next fire season.

“In the springtime really, see your healthcare provider and make sure your disease is as well-managed as possible, meaning that you have adequate medication, you have the right dose of medication and you understand your own triggers,” he said.

With severe drought conditions, we can expect another intense wildfire season and people will have to get used to the high exposure of smoke.

“Everybody in British Columbia actually experiences smoke every summer now. And now you start to think about somebody experiencing smoke for a week or two weeks every single summer for their whole life. It’s unprecedented. That’s exactly what we’re starting. It’s a problem we haven’t had to deal with,” said Brauer.