Opinion

Canada’s wildfire smoke is choking America — Congress must clear the air

The best way to improve air quality across the country is to prevent these catastrophic events from happening

By August Pfluger , Gabe Evans Fox News

Published July 24, 2026 5:00am EDT

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Dr Siegel discusses health risks from wildfire smoke and lettuce parasite

Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, discusses health risks associated with Canadian wildfire smoke and the Cyclospora parasite found on lettuce.

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This week, millions of Americans woke up to hazy skies and scratchy throats under air quality alerts, not because of anything happening in their own local communities or states, but because smoke from the hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada drifted across the border. Across the Atlantic seaboard to the Midwest, Americans were told to stay indoors. Seniors and people with respiratory conditions faced increased health risks. Kids enjoying their summer break watched their outdoor plans get cancelled. Families on vacation were stuck inside.

America’s own regulatory system allows forests to grow dangerously overgrown, letting dead trees and dense underbrush pile up for years while environmental reviews drag on before a single chainsaw ever starts. Meanwhile, drought intensifies conditions and one lightning strike, or a careless spark, can turn into an inferno. This is the opposite of environmental stewardship and neglect dressed up as caution.

Americans deserve policies that help prevent catastrophic fires before they start, protect our communities when fires do occur, and ensure our environmental laws actually improve the environment........

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