LA Fires Adds Millions To Air Pollution Problem
The American Lung Association says that Los Angeles has the most polluted air in America based on ozone measurements. Based on year-round particle air pollution, it ranks 6th, and short-term particle pollution it ranks 11th. However, the top 10 in each category include nearby Bakersfield.
*Property Destroyed
The University of California recently published a paper titled “You know wildfire smoke is bad for you. But did you know it’s this bad?”
“The reason we monitor, measure, study and regulate PM2.5 is that when it gets into the alveolae, it can get into your bloodstream, and then it goes everywhere throughout your body, including vital organs” says Tarik Benmarhnia, an environmental epidemiologist who studies the health effects of wildfire smoke at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “And that can lead to some negative consequences.”
Financial Consequences
This is an example of a financial consequence of a man-made disaster. Fires in and around LA have caused the evacuation of 30,000 people and tens of millions of dollars in property damage. With 100 MPH winds, the problem will certainly worsen.
And the fires will continue year after year. Residents in and around LA have no place to move; if they can, they have no money to move.
The damage to health cannot be measured precisely. The property damage can be. Together, they represent another huge financial consequence of climate change.
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