By: DESTANEE ROCHA-GARCIA
Staff Writer
The masses of smoke created by the bush fires in Australia have returned to its continent of origin after drifting across the Pacific Ocean and circumnavigating the globe. Google Earth images from NASA’s agency, show its path as a trail of brown smoke made its way around the world. According to NASA, the smoke had already traveled halfway around the Earth and across South America.
The pathway was made possibly by fire-included thunderstorms that provided which led the smoke to enter the stratosphere, traveling thousands of miles from Australia and affecting atmospheric conditions on a global scale. Wood smoke contains some of the same toxic chemicals as urban air pollution, along with tiny particles of vapor and soot 30 times thinner than a human hair.
Hospital admissions have increased in the smoke-affected cities, with some patients suffering asthma for the first time in their life. The government has responded by distributing 3.5 million free particle-excluding masks. Despite regularly broadcasted public health warnings, a number of tennis players in the qualifying tournament for the Australian Open in Melbourne have been affected by the smoke. One player dropped to her knees in a coughing fit and had to retire her match.
In the U.S., an estimated 20,000 people die prematurely every year because of chronic wildfire smoke exposure. That’s expected to double by the end of the century, according to scientists funded by NASA. Research suggests children, the elderly, and those with existing health problems are most at risk.