In Smoke Emergency, Fossil Fuel “Expert” Insists Dirty Air is “no Health Risk”

Above, non-MD “expert” Steven Milloy tells millions of Fox New’s elderly viewers that breathing toxic air is of no health concern.
For the record, the risks of breathing wildfire smoke center on so-called PM 2.5 particles, so small that they can enter the lungs and cross into the blood stream, delivering a toxic payload. Below, assessment from Harvard School of Public Health.

Harvard School of Public Health:

Researchers examined the impact on mortality of tiny particles of pollution called PM2.5 that are emitted outdoors at stationary sources like coal plants, gas plants, industrial boilers, buildings (commercial and residential), and other industries up the oil and gas supply chain. Exposure to PM2.5 can lead to a variety of negative health impacts including cardiovascular and respiratory disease, stroke, asthma, autism spectrum disorder, and premature mortality. 

Media Matters:

Fox News hosts and guests and other right-wing media figures are minimizing the public health risk of the cloud of particulate matter from Canadian forest fires that descended on much of the United States this week and mocking people for taking steps to protect themselves. 

The coverage is reminiscent of Fox’s disastrous handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly its early days, when the network downplayed the potential danger posed by the virus.

Smoke from wildfires in Ontario and Quebec inundated the Midwest and East Coast on Wednesday. Major metropolises were under hazardous air quality warnings, and a reddish-orange haze choked New York City, which at one point had the lowest air quality of any major city in the world. On Thursday, the smoke-filled air is expected to spread further into the Midwest and South even as conditions improve in the Northeast.

Meanwhile, on another program, Fox News own medical expert Marc Siegel (apparently an actual MD) recommends caution, staying indoors, and masking with N-95s.

The Fox chyron reminded me that the smoke-loving “expert” Steven Milloy is a “Senior Fellow” at Energy and Environment Legal Institute , a Washington DC based lobbying firm well known to climate scientists and legal experts. E&E has a long history of orchestrating threats, harrassment and legal attacks on climate scientists or anyone who might raise a discouraging word about the fossil fuel industry’s agenda.

I’ve been pushing back on one of E&E’s most visible agents, Kevon Martis, who has been a key organizer of opposition to clean energy across the midwest. Here are Martis’ and Milloy’s bios on the same page at the E&E Legal site.

If you have not seen the video I produced examining Mr Martis’ activities and associations, you really should. An Eye Opener.