Researchers from the University of Washington say the top three smokiest cities in the country are all in Oregon.
This was first reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting.
UW found that Medford, Grants Pass, and Bend had the most wildfire smoke from 2019-2023. Several other Oregon cities made their top 10 list: Klamath Falls was fifth, Roseburg was sixth, and Eugene/Springfield ranked 10th.
The smokiest city in Washington was Yakima, coming in at 15th.
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Not all types of smoke have the same impact and wildfire smoke can cause serious health issues or make existing ones worse. The tiny particulates in wildfire smoke are so small that they can be absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs.
They can cause minor and serious respiratory issues and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
In fact, in both the Portland and Seattle metro areas, about 15% of all asthma-related ER visits could be attributed to wildfire smoke.
