Toxic Smoke From West Coast Wildfires Makes its Way to East Coast

The massive clouds of smoke generated by the deadly west coast wildfires is making its way across the U.S. NASA captured satellite images showing the smoke that currently resides over California, Oregon and Washington in particular. The clouds are so thick they can be seen from a million miles away. It has led the west coast to experience some of the worst air quality in the world. And earlier this week, the National Weather Service reported it was spreading across the country via the jet stream and affecting skies as far away as New York City. If it continues on its current trajectory, the smoke could impact parts of Europe. This is extremely dangerous for many reasons. Not only does the smoke contain harmful amounts of carbon monoxide that can have negative impacts on the environment, and ultimately climate change, but the toxic pollutants it contains can impact people’s health. The record-breaking fires began last month and have since claimed at least 36 lives and over 4 million acres of land.