How does wildfire smoke compare to other air pollutants?

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - The heavy haze of wildfire smoke coating the Green Mountains is raising questions.

We’ve warned you about the dangers of spending too much time in the smoke, especially for children, seniors, and people with respiratory issues.

Now, viewers are wondering how wildfire smoke pollution compares to pollution from things like cars and heating with wood or oil.

Steve from Burlington emailed us asking, “Doesn’t this smoke negate all the required mandates in the Vermont clean energy laws enacted to reduce pollution?”

The big question Steve is asking here is whether the wildfire smoke we’re seeing violates Vermont’s carbon mandates.

As our weather team puts it, Vermont’s laws crack down on emissions from things like transportation and heating, not emissions from disast