By Karen Maxwell, I&E – EHS, Business Development Manager
If you live in California and have travelled to the Midwest or East Coast in the last few months, you may have experienced déjà vu. That smokey smell and haze that envelops the Far West during wildfire season has invaded midwestern and eastern states resulting in health alerts, outdoor event cancellations and strong suggestions to stay indoors.
This time, wildfire smoke is moving south from Canada, which has burned 31,432 square miles. That’s about 15% higher than ever. Meanwhile, wildfires in the U.S. burn about 12,000 square miles annually.
Global warming has put earlier wildfire volume predictions decades ahead of previous estimates. In the Hartford Courier, Kristi Ebi uses evidence from a 2019 study concluding, “There is emerging evidence that the toxicity of wildfire smoke PM2.5 is more toxic than what comes out of tailpipes.” A 2021 wildfires study, in “Atmospheric Environment” journal, concluded that about 44 million people per year, worldwide, are exposed to unhealthy air, causing about 677,000 deaths annually, with almost 39% of them children.
Why SGS?
You may already be aware of the data on climate change, but as wildfire issues expand east across North America, we want to remind you that SGS is prepared to provide you and your clients with wildfire recovery and testing services for air, water, soil and more.
The expert team and instrumentation across our network of laboratories provides comprehensive services to pinpoint required clean up so everyone can return to a safe environment. We make it easy for you by providing a single point of contact for project management, reporting and invoicing!
Click on the link below for detailed information on all services we provide relating to wildfires. This blog from 2021 focuses on the high-tech continuous monitoring services we provided to keep school children healthy in the aftermath of California wildfires.
Contact
To learn more visit www.sgsgalson.com/wildfires or contact me with your wildfire services questions at +1 646 984 1167 and karen.maxwell@sgs.com.
We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company.