Nursing professor Bernadette Longo was quoted by Reno's NPR affiliate, KUNR, regarding the hazards posed by the Rim Fire in Yosemite National Park:
"Bernadette Longo works at the Orvis School of Nursing at the University of Nevada's Medical School and is also the state's Clean Air Ambassador for the American Nurses Association. She says when air quality gets this bad, other health effects emerge.
"When we're breathing in these fine, small particles, the theory is that they are getting absorbed into the body and into our blood, and it makes our blood thicker," Longo told KUNR. "This puts more of a strain on our hearts and increases blood pressure."
