"Wildfire Smoke Hurts Heart, Not Just Lungs, New Study Finds"

"Wildfire smoke is bad for your lungs, but now scientists say it may be just as bad for your heart.

As rising global temperatures spark more and more intense fires, a new study out of UC San Francisco suggests smoke may rise as an even bigger problem for cardiovascular health in California — especially among its senior citizens.

“We think about smoking cigarettes as being related to heart disease in medical school,” said Zachary Wettstein, a graduating medical student at UC San Francisco and lead author of the study. “But it’s not a connection physicians typically make with air pollution in general.”"

Nicoletta Lanese reports for the San Jose Mercury News April 11, 2018.