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Nicola Cherry, an occupational epidemiologist at the university, said in an interview one-in-seven firefighters who fought the wildfire have long-term effects on their lungs. Cherry could not say how long the health problems would be with them.
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“My expectation would be if they were going to get better they would have gotten better by now,” she said. “The balance of probabilities is that those who now have a syndrome that looks a bit like asthma will continue to have those problems.”
Author of the article: Laura Beamish
Publishing date: Jul 19, 2021 • 2 hours ago • 2 minute read • Strathcona County firefighter Jason Biggeman (right) blows into a spirometer to test his lung function in Sherwood Park, Alta. on May 18, 2016. Biggeman was sent to Fort McMurray to fight the Horse River Wildfire. Professor Jeremy Beach of the University of Alberta (left) was part of a team studying the firefighters. Larry Wong/Postmedia Network
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Firefighters heavily exposed to the 2016 Horse River Wildfire have persistent lung damage and more than double the risk of developing asthma compared to the general population, according to a study from the University of Alberta.
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