Wildfire smoke can cause lung cancer and brain tumors: new research

OAKLAND, Calif. - As wildfire season begins in California, there are new health concerns about smoke from wildfires.

Canadian scientists from McGill University found a link between wildfire smoke and two types of cancer. 

They said people living within 30 miles of wildfires were more likely to develop lung cancer and brain tumors.

Their study followed 2 million people during a 20-year period. Researchers said the fires create a toxic mix of chemicals that linger and people who live near burn zones can be affected even years after a fire.

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Another recent report says hundreds of wine industry laborers were sent to work in proximity to a pair of huge 2020 wildfires, leaving them potentially exposed to both flames and toxic smoke.

At least 290 farmworkers were working near the LNU Lightning Complex and Glass wildfires, while at least 370 others were working within a mile of the perimeters, according to the report by researchers at UC Irvine. 

The researchers said there was a lack of oversight and inconsistencies in the Sonoma County system that regulates workers’ access to evacuation zones.

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