SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Wildfires across the West are sending toxic plumes of smoke into the air, affecting cities thousands of miles away.

And as fires grow more frequent and destructive, doctors are raising awareness about the possible risks for pregnant women and their unborn babies.

"Clinicians now are realizing that climate change is impacting our patients today because the events are happening so frequently," said Dr. Marya Zlatnik, OBGYN and maternal-fetal medicine expert at the University of California San Francisco.

Dr. Zlatnik says historically, medical education for pregnant women has focused more on individual choices impacting health, like smoking.

“There’s sort of this whole, broad category of risks we haven’t studied yet. But they’re things we have lots of reason to suspect shouldn’t be ingested by pregnant women or kids," said Dr. Zlatnik.

One year ago, the Bay Area woke to an apocalyptic, smoke-choked sky as fires burned throughout Northern California. Today, fires are consuming the state at the same pace.

The toxic particles in wildfire smoke are small enough to enter the lungs and bloodstream. And Dr. Zlatnik says researchers are now finding soot from wildfires in placentas.

“Anything that damages the placenta or causes inflammation in the placenta can potentially sort of directly harm the baby or lead to problems with pregnancy, like preterm birth, or the baby not growing as well.”

A study published last month found there may have been as many as 7,000 additional premature births in California attributable to wildfire smoke exposure between 2007 and 2012.

“That can have a lifelong impact for that baby. Prematurity is probably the number one cause of neural developmental problems and is certainly very expensive and very scary for parents," said Dr. Zlatnik. "Anything we can do to avoid unnecessary inflammation is something that could potentially really have long-term beneficial health impacts.”

Authors of the new study note that premature births cost the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $25 billion per year, and that even modest reductions in preterm birth risk could greatly benefit society.

Expecting her first child in October, Laura Canton says she's hyper-aware of the changing climate as she thinks about her daughter's future.

“When we walk on the beach, we see bottle caps, plastic bottles, Legos, just everywhere on the beach. It’s sad to know Ocean is going to grow up and may not get to go to Yosemite or the forest because it's going to be gone," said Canton.

Living in San Diego, she's experienced the hazy fog of wildfires.

“The clouds come in, and you can see it’s a different haze. The sunsets are really orange," said Canton. "It’s very dry here. So, if one house lights up, our houses are so close together, it could take down the whole city, it is scary.”

Dr. Zlatnik says there are steps pregnant women can take to protect themselves and their unborn children.

She recommends patients monitor air quality, checking the news, or using phone apps like AirVisual and Plume Air Report.

"The best way to improve air is to use either a home fan, air conditioning system that has a high-quality MERVE 13 filter that's going to filter out the PM2.5 material or a portable air cleaner, air purifier, that’s filtering out that particulate matter.”

A more affordable option, making one at home with a box fan and a furnace filter.

“I didn’t use to advise this for the women I care for in pregnancy, that they needed to invest in one of these things," said Dr. Zlatnik. "But that’s one of the ways that people who are pregnant can protect themselves.”

Hide Transcript
Show Transcript

AT THAT VIDEO VERY DIFFERENT. LET’S TKAL WEATHER. YEAH WEATHER BEAUTIFUL DAY TODAY. WE HAVE THOSE BLUE SKIES, AND IT WAS JU NICEST TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT FOR THOSE THAT WEREUT O REMEMBERING THIS AFTERNOON. BUT AS WE GO THROUGH THE WEEKEND, WE’RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AHEAD TO THOSE HAZY CONDITIONS A LOT OF HEAT AND WE’RE ACTUALLY SEEING THAT HAZE MOVE IN RIGHTOW N ON OUR CAMERA HERE IN LEBANON MILKY SKY AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE GONNAE B SEEING AS WE GO THROUGH THE WEEKEND ACTUALLY PROBABLY GONNA SEE A VERY VIV SUNSET THESE NEXT COUPLE OF NIGHTS. WE HAVE A LOT OF SUN ACROSS THE REGION BUT WHEN YOUET G THAT SMEOK BLOWING IN IT TYPICALLY ALLOWS FOR SOME VERY VIBRANT REDS AND ORANGES. SO LOOKOR F THAT AS WE GO THROUGH THESE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS HIGH PRESSURE IS GOING TO BE KEEPING US DRY HERE ACROSS THE MIDWEST, BUT WE’RE ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THAT HIGH NOW, SO IT’S STARTING TO NUDGE OFF TO THE EAST HERE AND WHEN WE GET ON THE WEST SIDE OF HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEMSN I THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY IT ALLOWS FOR SOUTHERLY WINDS THOSE SOUTH WINDSAP T INTO HEAT AND HUMIDITY WAY FURTHER SOUTH AND THAT PULLS IT UP INTO THE OHIO VALLEY. THINGSRE A GOING TO FEEL REALLY SUMMERY HERE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS FUTURECAST ASE W GO THROUGH THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS HERE SHOWS CLEARING SKIES. WE DID HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF CLOUD COVER OUT THERE, BUT THAT WILL GO AWAY AS WE GO PAST SUNSET AND I TNKHI AS WE GO INTO TOMORROW SOME SCATTERED CLOUDS AT TIMES, BUT MORE LIKELY SOME FILTERED SUNSHINE. SO THOSEAZ HY SUNNY CONDITIONS AS WE GO INTO THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. SO IF YOU ARE OUT TOMORROW THINGSRE A GONNA LOOK REALLY NICE LEAST IN THE WAY OF CLOUD COVER, BUT IT’S GONNA BE PRETTY HOT. SO BSUE RE TO STAY. HYDRATED, OF COURSE WHERE THAT SUNSCREEN TOMORROW AND MAYBE FIND SOME AC OR LOOKING AT SOME HEAT INDEX READINGS IN THE LOW 90S. AFTERNOON, IT STAYS PRETTY WARM INTO SUNDAY NIGHT AS WELL. A WILDFIRE SMO IKES GOING TO BE A BIG PART OF OUR FORECAST THIS WEEKEND AGAIN THATIL WL CONTINUE TO FILTER IN HERE AS WE GO THROUGH TONIGHT AND INTO TOMORROW. WE’RE NOT LOOKING AT SMOKE AT THE SURFACE. SOMETIMES IT CAN MAKE ITS WAY DOWN TOHE T SURFACE MAKE THINGS PRETTY SMOKY HERE GROUND LEVEL. THIS WILL ALL STAY ALOFT. BUT AGAIN THAT WILL ALLOW FOR FILTERED SUNSHINE AS WE GO THROUGH THE WEEKEND. SO LOOKING AT THAT AT LEAST INTO MONDAY POSSIBLY EVEN TUESDAY AS WE GO THROUGH TONIGHT TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO BE WARMER. BECAUSE IT’S GOING TO BE BREEZIER TONIGHT. WE’RE LOOKING AT A SOUTH WIND OF 10 TO 15 MILES PER HOUR. SO HIGH 60S TO AROUND 70 TONIGHT AND THEN TOMORROW FORECASTING 90 HERE IN CINCINNATI. WE’RE GONNA HAVE TO SEE HOW MUCH HAZE WE GET SOMETIMES WHEN YOU GET A LOT OF HAZE IN THE ATMOSPHERE CAN ACTUALLY MAKE IT PRETTY DIFFICULTO T WARM TO THAT 90 DEGREE MARK, BUT WE’RE GONNA STICK WITH THAT RIGHT NOW, BUT I THKIN A LOT OF HIGH 80S OUTSIDE THE DOWNTOWN AREA. IT’S GONNA BE QUITE BREEZY TOMORROW. I THINK SOME GUSTS AROUND 25 MILES PER HOUR. HERE’S YOUR 7-DAY FORECTAS FOR LOOKING AT THOSE BREEZY CONDITIONS TOMORROW. ALONG WITH THAT HAYES. HAY STICKING WITH US INTO MONDAY, BUT MONDAY NOT GOING TO BE AS BREEZY. I THINK THERES I A POTENTIAL FOR SOME LOW 90S AS WE HEAD INTO MONDAY AND TUESDAY RIGHT NOW. WE’RE STICKING WITH THAT 89 DEGREE MARK AND THEN AS WE GO INTO WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, WE’VE GOT A CDOL FRONT COMING IN RIGHT NOW THAT’S EXPECTED TO BRING US SOME SCATTERED STORMS A LITTLE BIT OF RAIN, BUT COOLER HIGHS WITH THAT AS

Heat returns to Cincinnati

Breezy, hazy skies are in the forecast through the evening. Things get hotter and stay sunny into Sunday.

Updated: 7:29 PM EDT Sep 11, 2021

Breezy, hazy skies are in the forecast through the evening. Things get hotter and stay sunny into Sunday.

Breezy, hazy skies are in the forecast through the evening. Things get hotter and stay sunny into Sunday.