Rutgers researchers examined particulate matter from a June 2023 fire that triggered advisories for more than 100 million Americans in the Northeast.
Rutgers researchers examined particulate matter from a June 2023 fire that triggered advisories for more than 100 million Americans in the Northeast.
Climate-driven wildfire events are rapidly transferring harmful particulate matter containing toxic chemicals over long distances, compromising air quality in the New Jersey and New York City areas, according to Rutgers Health research.
Published in Environmental Science & Technology and to be featured on the cover of the journal’s next issue, the study assessed the physical and chemical characteristics of wildfire-related particulate matter and was the first to report this characterization from a climate-driven wildfire event in the densely populated Northeast region.
“Particulate matter is a leading environmental factor in the global burden of disease, with climate-driven wildfires being a major source,” said lead author Jose Guillermo "Memo" Cedeño Laurent, assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health and director of the Rutgers Climate Adaptive and Restorative Environments Lab. “In the U.S., climate change-driven wildfires are reversing decade-long improvements in ambient air quality.”
Read more at Rutgers University
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