Controlled Burns May Provide Health Benefit.

Children are exposed to higher air pollutant levels during a wildfire than during a similar-sized controlled burn, and the difference is reflected by changes in immune markers in their blood. The finding from Stanford University suggests that using prescribed burns, also called controlled burns, to reduce fuel levels in forests may protect the health of people who live nearby.

"This study suggests that exposure to wildfire smoke is detrimental above and beyond poor air quality," says lead author Mary Prunicki, an instructor of medicine.

Native Americans traditionally used controlled burns to manage California's forests but, throughout the early 20th century, the practice was widely suppressed. Recent wildfires have brought more attention to the possible benefits of prescribed burns as a way to reduce fuel levels and wildfire risk, but not everyone is...

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