GREENSBORO, N.C. — As almost 100 wildfires are burning across the nation, a new report says all that smoke might be causing people to get dementia.
The findings were presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference this week. The study looked at the medical records of more than 1.2 million people. It found higher rates of dementia in areas where people were exposed to more wildfire smoke.
Before you think this is a problem in California and not here, last year North Carolina has the second largest increase nationwide in wildfires behind Arizona. The number of acres burned in our state was up over 500 percent in 2023.
One of the reasons researchers are so concerned is because particles in wildfire smoke are smaller than a human hair, so it's easier for them to get into your body than other types of air pollution. But the director of the Western Carolina Alzheimer's Association, Katherine Lambert, says there are ways we can protect ourselves.
"One making sure when possible that you can update your home's air filtration system. Um Looking at when we have those uh air quality indexes, when those reach 100 and above wearing um an N95 mask to protect ourselves. And then also, you know, even better stay inside when the air quality is unhealthy. If that's at all possible," she said.
Researchers say more studies need to be done to find out how much exposure to wildfire smoke is too much and answer other lingering questions.
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