Bushfire smoke could cause lung problems for generations, US monkey study suggests
ABCMonkeys in Northern California are providing valuable clues to the health cost of exposure to bushfire smoke, revealing it could have potentially life-threatening consequences for humans. Key points: Scientists have studied the impact of bushfire smoke on monkeys since 2008 The monkeys exposed to smoke had 20 per cent less lung capacity There are fears that prolonged exposed to smoke could affect human health Large swathes of south-eastern Australia were blanketed in smoke during the recent bushfire crisis, consistently exposing people to unsafe levels of noxious fumes not seen in some of the world's most polluted cities. Monkeys could show human impact of smoke disasters When bushfires ravaged Trinity and Humboldt counties in 2008, America's west coast was blanketed in toxic fumes for two weeks. As the smoke filtered in, Dr Miller said she had a "lightbulb moment" — an idea to track the impacts of the event on the health of infant monkeys that were born at the Primate Centre three months before.
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