Wildfire smoke may be worse for your brain than other air pollution, study says

Wildfire smoke may be worse for brain health than other types of air pollution, according to new research linking it to an increased risk of dementia.

The findings, reported Monday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia, come as millions spent the weekend under air quality warnings from wildfires spewing smoke across the western U.S.

At issue is fine particulate matter or PM2.5 – tiny particles about 30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair that can be inhaled deep into the lungs and move to the bloodstream. This pollution – from traffic, factories and fires – can cause or worsen heart and lung diseases, and the new study adds to evidence it may play some role in dementia, too.

Researchers tracked health records from 1.2 million older adults in Southern California between 2009 and 2019. They used air quality monitoring and other data to estimate residential exposure to PM2.5 over three years from wildfire smoke or other causes.