conv.

All stories
ClimateQuiet 8d · day 11

Wildfire smoke at U.S. schools surges eightfold; indoor air often fails to protect children

A national study finds smoke exposure at schools and childcare centers has climbed sharply since 2006, with some classrooms dirtier than outdoors.

newest coverage 7d agosummary written 8d ago5 pieces1 likes & upvotes NewswiresRedditBlueskyMastodon

What to know

  • Wildfire smoke days at U.S. public schools increased nearly eightfold between 2006 and 2023 (6.8 to 54.4 days annually); childcare centers saw a twelvefold rise.
  • Indoor air at schools does not reliably protect children—some buildings recorded higher PM2.5 concentrations indoors than outdoors during smoke events.
  • In 2023 alone, children collectively experienced 2.64 billion student-smoke-days at public schools, with the sharpest acceleration occurring after 2019.
  • Fine particulate matter from wildfires can travel hundreds to thousands of miles and is linked to respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, and reduced cognitive performance in children.

Molly Kile Environmental epidemiologist, Oregon State University College of HealthStephanie Foster Study lead, Oregon State University College of Health

Wildfire smoke at U.S. schools surges eightfold; indoor air often fails to protect children
earth.com

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlespostscomments

Peak 2 pieces in 3h at Oct 29, 5 AM; 5 pieces over 11 days (1 article · 3 posts · 1 comment) Oct 28, 5 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Oct 28, 8 PM — quietOct 28, 11 PM — quietOct 29, 2 AM — quietOct 29, 5 AM — 2 pieces · 1 post · 1 comment — Reddit 2Oct 29, 8 AM — quietOct 29, 11 AM — quietOct 29, 2 PM — quietOct 29, 5 PM — quietOct 29, 8 PM — quietOct 29, 11 PM — quietOct 30, 2 AM — quietOct 30, 5 AM — quietOct 30, 8 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Bluesky 1Oct 30, 11 AM — quietOct 30, 2 PM — quietOct 30, 5 PM — quietOct 30, 8 PM — quietOct 30, 11 PM — quietOct 31, 2 AM — quietOct 31, 5 AM — quietOct 31, 8 AM — quietOct 31, 11 AM — quietOct 31, 2 PM — quietOct 31, 5 PM — quietOct 31, 8 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Oct 31, 11 PM — quietNov 1, 1 AM — quietNov 1, 4 AM — quietNov 1, 7 AM — quietNov 1, 10 AM — quietNov 1, 1 PM — quietNov 1, 4 PM — quietNov 1, 7 PM — quietNov 1, 10 PM — quietNov 2, 1 AM — quietNov 2, 4 AM — quietNov 2, 7 AM — quietNov 2, 10 AM — quietNov 2, 1 PM — quietNov 2, 4 PM — quietNov 2, 7 PM — quietNov 2, 10 PM — quietNov 3, 1 AM — quietNov 3, 4 AM — quietNov 3, 7 AM — quietNov 3, 10 AM — quietNov 3, 1 PM — quietNov 3, 4 PM — quietNov 3, 7 PM — quietNov 3, 10 PM — quietNov 4, 1 AM — quietNov 4, 4 AM — quietNov 4, 7 AM — quietNov 4, 10 AM — quietNov 4, 1 PM — quietNov 4, 4 PM — quietNov 4, 7 PM — quietNov 4, 10 PM — quietNov 5, 1 AM — quietNov 5, 4 AM — quietNov 5, 7 AM — quietNov 5, 10 AM — quietNov 5, 1 PM — quietNov 5, 4 PM — quietNov 5, 7 PM — quietNov 5, 10 PM — quietNov 6, 1 AM — quietNov 6, 4 AM — quietNov 6, 7 AM — quietNov 6, 10 AM — quietNov 6, 1 PM — quietNov 6, 4 PM — quietNov 6, 7 PM — quietNov 6, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 7 AM — quiet 123
Oct 29Oct 30Oct 31Nov 1Nov 2Nov 3Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6now · 9:04 AM ET
  1. 3

    Study data shows 2.64 billion student-smoke-days in 2023 alone; sharpest rise since 2019

    When researchers multiplied school enrollment by smoke days, the 2022-2023 school year totaled 2.64 billion student-smoke-days at public schools and 1.02 billion at childcare centers. The sharpest increase occurred between the 2019-2020 and 2022-2023 school years, when average school smoke days jumped from about 10 to 54.

    “Our children are collectively experiencing billions of days of smoky air each year.”
    — Molly Kile
    • earthdotcom.bsky.social

      Wildfire smoke is reaching schools more often, and researchers found indoor air is not always safer for children.

      earthdotcom.bsky.socialBluesky9d ago1▲view on Bluesky ↗
    1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
    • Dragofix@veganism.social

      Wildfire smoke is invading America’s schools, and staying indoors may not be enough https://www. earth.com/environment/wildfire -smoke-is-invading-americas-schools-and-staying-indoors-may-not-be-enough/ # America # environment # wildfire # wildfires # schools # health # PublicHealth

      Dragofix@veganism.socialMastodon7d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  2. 2

    Study finds indoor air at schools does not reliably protect children from smoke

    Researchers discovered substantial variation in how well school buildings protected occupants from outdoor particulate pollution, with some schools recording higher indoor PM2.5 concentrations than nearby outdoor measurements during smoke days. The study emphasized the need for HVAC upgrades or portable HEPA filters.

    “Some schools had higher indoor PM2.5 concentrations than nearby outdoor measurements during smoke days.”
    — Molly Kile

    • Welcome to r/science ! This is a heavily moderated subreddit in order to keep the discussion on science. However, we recognize that many people want to discuss how they feel the research relates to their own personal lives, so to give people a space to do that, personal anecdotes are allowed as responses to this comment . Any anecdotal comments…

      AutoModeratorr/science10d agoview on r/science ↗
  3. 1

    Oregon State study reveals schools' exposure to wildfire smoke has surged sharply

    A national study examining air quality data from 2006 to 2023 found the average number of annual smoke days at public schools rose from 6.8 to 54.4 between the study period's beginning and end. Childcare centers experienced an even steeper increase, from 9.4 to 112.2 days.

    “The average number of annual smoke days at public schools rose from 6.8 to 54.4 between the beginning and end of the study period.”
    — Molly Kile
    1. 1 outlet Schools increasingly affected by poor air quality as wildfire smoke becomes more common

      first by Phys.org, 10d ago

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · best of 3 · verbatim