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Progressives call push to change Constitution "risky," Judge rules Donald Trump defrauded banks, insurers while building real estate empire; new report compares ways NY can get cleaner air, help disadvantaged communities.

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Senate leaders advance a plan to avoid a government shutdown, an elections official argues AI could be a threat to democracy and voting rights advocates look to states like Arizona to rally young Latino voters.

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A small fire department in rural Indiana is determined not to fail new moms and babies, the growing election denial movement has caused voting districts to change procedures and autumn promises spectacular scenery along America's rural byways.

Report: 2016 TN Wildfires May Add 'Refinery' Levels of Pollution

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Monday, June 19, 2017   

GATLINBURG, Tenn. – Parts of Tennessee continue to recover from the millions of dollars in damage done by last year's wildfires - but new scientific research indicates the damage to the state's air quality my be even worse than the EPA estimates.

Two new studies from the Georgia Institute of Technology indicate particulates created by wildfire can have a long-lasting impact on climate.

Smoke samples weren't specific to the Tennessee fires, but Professor Greg Huey with Georgia Tech says they found a list of chemicals you'd expect from an oil refinery - methanol, benzene, other noxious emissions - which pose significant risks to public health.

"As it gets drier, we might expect to have more forest fires and larger problems with air quality due to them," he says. "So our study points out that we're really going to have to think about forest management and fire policies as we move ahead."

A separate Georgia Tech study found that particulates from forest fires are reaching the upper atmosphere and staying there, which could speed up global warming. Scientists analyzed air samples collected by NASA aircraft some seven miles above locations across the U.S.

Drought and warmer temperatures have been linked to the increase in the number and size of wildfires across western states.

Huey notes the microscopic specks released by burning forests are especially dangerous for the lungs and heart. He says one way to limit the amount of particulates could be to beat wildfires at their own game.

"There's a pretty obvious candidate to look at, and that's to do prescribed burning because prescribed burning releases fewer pollutants per amount of fuel burned than the wildfires do," he explains.

Previous EPA estimates for forest-fire pollution levels were based on samples taken on the ground during controlled burns ignited by forestry professionals.

Huey and his team captured smoke samples by flying directly into three separate active wildfire plumes.


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