This article Reprinted from conversation Under Creative Commons license.
While the direct threat is obvious when wildfires rage, the smoke from the fires actually kills far more people than the flames.
If fires become more frequent, the smoke will create a public health crisis.
A new study published in the journal Science Advances finds that between 2008 and 2018, more than 52,000 people died prematurely in California alone, and wildfire smoke likely caused more than $430 billion in economic damage from those deaths.
Previous studies have investigated the short-term health risks of wildfire smoke, but few studies have assessed the extent to which exposure to wildfire smoke over many years cumulatively shortens a person’s lifespan.
JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 8: A man jogs through Liberty State Park as smoke from Canadian wildfires blankets the Manhattan borough of New Jersey on June 8, 2023, with One World Trade Center and the New York skyline visible in the background. (Photo by Eduardo Muñoz Alvarez/Getty Images)Photo: Eduardo Muñoz Alvarez/Getty Images
The risk and severity of wildfires is increasing as the climate changes and people move closer to the edges of wildlands, increasing the risk of fires starting. Years of suppressing all wildfires have prevented smaller fires from clearing undergrowth, creating more fuel for escaped fires.
As fires have become a regular part of our lives, it is important that communities understand that smoke poses increased health risks.
Health risks
Decades of air pollution research have shown that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM)2.5which may be harmful to a person’s long-term health.
afternoon2.5 It is a mixture of tiny particles, each just the size of a human hair, that come from a variety of sources, including car tailpipes, industrial emissions and fires. The particles are so small that they can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.
Inhaling PM2.5 It can cause short-term respiratory health problems in vulnerable populations such as asthmatics and the elderly, but it also causes long-term harm by contributing to the formation of chronic diseases such as arteriosclerosis, asthma, reduced lung function, and diabetes. One of the reasons this happens is because of the body’s inflammatory response to inhaling air pollutants.
