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When wildfires occur, the immediate threat is obvious, but smoke from the fires actually kills far more people than the flames.
As fires become more frequent, that smoke is causing a public health crisis.
In a new study published in the journal Science Advances, we found that wildfire smoke likely contributed to More than 52,000 premature deaths in California alone between 2008 and 2018, with a Economic impact for the deaths of more than 430 billion dollars.
Previous studies have examined the short-term health risks posed by wildfire smoke, but few have assessed how exposure to wildfire smoke over years shortens human lives.
JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 08: One World Trade Center and the New York skyline are seen in the background as a man jogs through Liberty State Park as smoke from the Canadian wildfires covers the borough of Manhattan on June 08, 2023 in New Jersey. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images
The risk and severity of wildfires have increased as The climate has changed and how More people have moved to the edges of wilderness areas.increasing the risk of fires. Years putting out all the forest fires have He also kept small fires going. to clear the undergrowth, that is, the fires that escape have more fuel to burn.
As fires become a regular part of our lives, it is important for communities to understand that the health risk from smoke pollution is also increasing.
Health risks
Decades of research on air pollution have shown how exposure to fine particulate matter, or PM2.5can damage a person’s long-term health.
P.M2.5 It is a mixture of small particles, each of them only one fraction of the width of a human hair. He comes from a variety of sourcessuch as vehicle exhaust and factory emissions, as well as other sources including fires. The particles are so tiny that they can reach deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.
Inhaling PM2.5 It can cause short-term respiratory problems in vulnerable populations, such as people with asthma and older adults. It also causes long-term damage by contributing to the formation of chronic diseasesThese include atherosclerosis, asthma, decreased lung function and diabetes. One of the reasons for this is the body’s inflammatory response to inhaling air pollutants.