Canada's worst wildfire season on record tarnished the country's air quality and had similar effects on pollution in parts of the United States , according to a new report.

University of Chicago researchers on Thursday released their annual Air Quality Life Index , a situational update on air pollution and how it impacts life expectancy. The AQLI report said particulate pollution "remained the greatest external threat to human life expectancy," comparing the impact to smoking.

Researchers from the university's Energy Policy Institute analyzed pollution data collected throughout 2023 and compared it with previous years.

Michael Greenstone, a professor at the University of Chicago who created the AQLI, told CBS News his team focused on airborne particulate matter — small parti

See Full Page