In recent years, major forest fires have ravaged around the world, including Australia, California, Brazil and Sweden. Now, an American study shows that the smoke from the fires can have long-lasting and negative effects on our health, the BBC reports.

American researchers have studied how a group of monkeys at an animal center were affected by the forest fire in northern California in 2008. The results show that the monkeys, who were only a few months old when the fire broke out, had impaired lung capacity and immune systems for 12 years after the incident.

In addition, the researchers found that the problems could be transmitted to the monkeys' children.

Similar to people

The monkeys had for two weeks been exposed to unhealthy levels of carbon monoxide and the particle PM2.5, which spread by the fire smoke.

Since the monkeys' lungs and immune systems are similar to humans, it is important to look more closely at how children are affected by the smoke, Professor Lisa Miller noted when presenting the results of the study during a meeting with the science organization American Association for the Advancement of Sciences.

"Don't want to panic"

She also pointed out that the monkeys were probably exposed to the smoke to a greater extent than humans because they spend all their time outdoors.

"I do not want to spread any panic among parents, but it is something that is good to be aware of during children's upbringing," says Lisa Miller, according to the BBC.