Officials warn wildland firefighters about the risks of using a supplement for smoke exposure

Denver7 · Aug 24, 2026 · 829 words · By The Associated Press

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What to know about Officials warn wildland firefighters about the risks of using a supplement for smoke exposure

SEATTLE (AP) — Fire and medical officials have issued warnings about a supplement offered to Western wildland firefighters who have been exposed to toxic chemicals while battling some of the country's biggest blazes.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The supplement glutathione, given through an IV or an inhaler-like machine called a nebulizer, has not been proven to be safe or effective and could expose firefighters to illness if there is contamination while it's produced, experts say.

Common ground

At least two pharmacies recalled the supplement in August due to bacterial contamination found during testing at their labs, with one saying it had received reports of people suffering from fever, chills, severe headache and other symptoms.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Officials warn wildland firefighters about the risks of using a supplement for smoke exposure?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Glutathione is an antioxidant made primarily in the liver?
What happens next if the deal stalls, and who has the power to restart talks?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.denver7.com/news/wildfire/officials-warn-wildland-firefighters-about…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

help Insufficient Evidence 1

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “Glutathione is an antioxidant made primarily in the liver”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this specific claim in the gathered results.

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Claim 2: “The group’s work with firefighters began following a 2017 blaze that destroyed thousands of homes in California’s wine country.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web sources (OPB, The Slope, and another news report) confirm the group's work began following a 2017 blaze in California's wine country.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alternative medicine comprises practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of medicine, but that lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_medicine

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN) is one of the main anti-vaccination groups in the United States. Founded in 2016 by Del Bigtree, it spreads misinformation about the risks of vaccines and co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informed_Consent_Action_Networ…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Youth participatory action research (YPAR) is an integrative approach to both research and systems change that centers youth inquiry and youth leadership. As a form of participatory action research (P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_participatory_action_res…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Tens of thousands of people die annually in the U.S. from long-term impacts of wildfire smoke.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (ScienceAlert and other medical study reports) state that wildfire smoke kills tens of thousands of people a year.

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web search NEUTRAL — Smoke from wildfires—which are burning more of the Northern Hemisphere as Earth warms—attacks nearly every system in the human body, killing tens of thousands of people a year, numerous medical studie…
https://phys.org/news/2026-07-wildfire-tens-thousands-people…

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web search NEUTRAL — Smoke drifting south from Canada's wildfires has become an almost annual visitor to American skies. None of these scenes look that unusual these days.It is killing tens of thousands of people a year. …
https://www.sciencealert.com/wildfire-smoke-can-attack-almos…

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web search NEUTRAL — A new study estimates tens of thousands of people in California died premature deaths due to wildfire smoke from 2008 to 2018.
https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/california-wildfir…

info

Claim 4: “At least two pharmacies recalled the supplement in August due to bacterial contamination found during testing at their labs”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided web search results for this claim are irrelevant, consisting of adult content websites that do not mention pharmacies, recalls, or glutathione.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Bokep Indo terbaru di PasarBokep. Tonton video bokep Indonesia, indo porn, dan koleksi bokep viral dengan update harian. Tersedia 2655 video yang bisa ditonton gratis.
https://www.pasarbokep.co/category/bokep-indo

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web search NEUTRAL — Streaming Ribuan Bokep Indo dan Koleksi Asupan Bokep HD gratis. Koleksi kumpulan bokep indo terlengkap, update harian!
https://pasarbokep.baby/

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web search NEUTRAL — Pasar Bokep: lapak bokep indo viral, jilbab, tante, skandal, dan tiktok. 21.932 video gratis bebas nonton tanpa daftar, lapak baru masuk tiap hari.
https://pasarbokep.lat/

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Claim 5: “A group of naturopaths called The Integrative Health Action Network had previously provided the supplement to firefighters during the January 2025 wildfires that tore through Los Angeles County.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web sources (OPB, The Slope, and another news report) confirm that The Integrative Health Action Network provided the supplement to firefighters during January 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles County.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “glutathione is not an FDA-approved drug”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm glutathione is an antioxidant/tripeptide. Specifically, one source explicitly states that the glutathione compound being offered to firefighters is 'not approved as a detoxifying agent by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Glutathione (GSH) powder Glutathione (GSH, / ˌɡluːtəˈθaɪoʊn /) is a tripeptide made of the amino acids glutamate, cysteine, and glycine. It is an antioxidant in plants, animals, fungi, and some bacter…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutathione

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 16, 2026 · Glutathione - It is an important antioxidant that helps fight free radicals. This is made of three amino acids - cysteine, glutamate & glycine.
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/glutathione-u…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 23, 2025 · Learn more about Glutathione uses, effectiveness, possible side effects, interactions, dosage, user ratings and products that contain Glutathione.
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/glutathione

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Claim 7: “International Association of Firefighters, a labor union representing some 360,000 first responders”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources confirm the IAFF represents approximately 330,000 to 360,000 firefighters and paramedics. One source specifically mentions 'more than 360,000'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The International Association of Black Professional Firefighters (IABPFF), founded in 1970, is a fraternal organization of black firefighters. It represents more than 8000 fire service personnel thro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Association_of_B…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is a labor union representing paid full-time firefighters and emergency medical services personnel in the United States and Canada. The IAFF was f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Association_of_F…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater NY is Local 94 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, the union representing New York City Firefighters. Founded in 1917, the UFA is a non…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniformed_Firefighters_Associa…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Glutathione was offered to firefighters during recent blazes that destroyed hundreds of buildings in and around Spokane, Washington.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent news sources (The Independent and a Spokane-area report) confirm that glutathione was offered to firefighters during blazes in and around Spokane, Washington.

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web search NEUTRAL — the city when the fire started.[52] In a desperate bid to starve the fire, firefighters began razing buildings with dynamite. Eventually, the winds and the fire died down; 32 blocks of Spokane's downt…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spokane,_Washington

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web search NEUTRAL — Warning followed supplement's use during Spokane wildfires. Glutathione was offered to firefighters during recent blazes that destroyed hundreds of buildings in and around Spokane, Washington.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/southern-california-seatt…

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web search NEUTRAL — The glutathione compound being offered to firefighters is not approved as a detoxifying agent by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. There is a lack of large randomized controlled studies that coul…
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/aug/17/spokane-area-f…

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Claim 9: “The California Board of Pharmacy in 2025 reversed course on regulations that would have made the supplement more difficult to acquire”

CORROBORATED

Two independent news sources confirm that in 2025, the California Board of Pharmacy reversed course on regulations that would have made the supplement more difficult to acquire.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — CVS Pharmacy Inc. is an American retail corporation. A subsidiary of CVS Health, it is headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Originally named the Consumer Value Stores, it was founded in Lowell, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CVS_Pharmacy

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in Commonwealth English (excluding Canada), is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislati…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacist

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A pharmacy technician (PhT) is an entry level healthcare professional which performs pharmacy-related functions including but not limited to filling medications for a prescription, while they cannot p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacy_technician

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.