As California’s Palisade Fires continue to burn, spewing smoke across the Southwest United States, students with respiratory conditions are reminded of the effect that wildfires, even as far away as California, can have on air quality and their conditions.

The impact of these fires has potential to add to Phoenix’s existing air quality challenges, as the city already ranks 10th worst in the nation for short-term particle pollution and 5th for annual particle pollution. Recent measurements show the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metro area experienced unhealthy air quality on 64.9% of days, while having good air quality only 3% of the time.

For students with respiratory conditions, monitoring air quality has become more of a necessity. 

“As environmental factors get worse, it’s likely that there will be more people with asthma affected,” says Hank Halaby ’26, a student who lives with asthma. “When Arizona air quality gets worse, all of the symptoms of my asthma get worse.”

Even though the fires are almost 400 miles away, smoke from California fires often travels eastward via the jetstream to Phoenix and other cities in Arizona. This can degrade the air quality in the region, threatening people with pulmonary issues.

According to recent medical studies, wildfire smoke is particularly concerning for those with respiratory conditions because it contains high levels of PM2.5 (fine particulate matter), which can penetrate deep into the lungs.

According to First Street Foundation, the Western United States has seen nearly double the number of poor air quality days compared to the beginning of this century.

With this evidence in mind, as climate change continues to affect global weather patterns and increases the frequency of wildfire conditions, people with respiratory diseases at Brophy may have to keep a closer eye on air quality where they live.

This article was written using AI. The reporter takes responsibility for the piece by gathering, editing and verifying all included content.