Wildfire Smoke’s Ozone Toll

Over the last decade, wildfires have worsened ground-level ozone pollution across much of the contiguous United States, creating unhealthy air far from active flames.

1. Frame 1NASA-supported study warns wildfire smoke raises ground-level ozone across the contiguous U.S., creating public health risk far from fires.
2. Frame 2Researchers report wildfires now contribute more to U.S. smog as smoke gases react in sunlight with other pollutants.
3. Frame 3Fires offset nearly four years of national ozone-control gains, with larger setbacks in the West and Midwest.
4. Frame 4Surface ozone irritates lungs, worsens asthma, and endangers children, older adults, outdoor workers, and people with health conditions.
5. Frame 5A deep-learning dataset estimated daily ozone from 2003 to 2024 on 0.6-mile grid squares across the contiguous United States.
6. Frame 6The next air-quality test is whether controls can keep working as smoke travels beyond active fires.