A new Stanford study reports wildfire smoke is affecting the air quality of millions of people each year, with a good portion of the unhealthy air coming to the west coast.
"What we wanted to understand was the smoke coming out of these fires - who is exposed to the smoke? Where is it going?" said Stanford Associate Professor Marshall Burke.
Burke co-authored a study that looks at how many people across the country are dealing with bad air quality due to wildfires.
The study found in the past decade alone, the number has jumped from half a million people to more than 8 million.
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Information gathered over the past 15 years, which included using ground monitors and satellites to create a complete picture of who has been exposed, was featured in the study.
It also is no coincident the west coast has seen the highest levels of unhealthy air due to record-breaking wildfires. And the recent rainfall over the weekend did not exactly slow down wildfire season, which means unhealthy air could still be in the forecast.
As for the next steps, Burke hopes the study can serve as a template for more research on the topic, specifically how long-term exposure tot he smoke can affect someone's health.
