US EditionStudy shows particle pollution from wildfire smoke was tied to 24,100 deaths per year in the US
Chronic exposure to wildfire smoke PM2.5 causes 24,100 deaths annually in the lower 48 U.S. states, with 5,594 more deaths per 0.1 µg/m3 increase, researchers found.
- Published Wednesday in Science Advances, the paper found that long-term wildfire PM2.5 exposure caused about 24,100 deaths yearly across the lower 48 states from 2006–2020, a figure Min Zhang called 'That's a big number.'
- Researchers say rising wildfire frequency and intensity from climate change and decades of forest mismanagement expanding the urban–wildland interface are driving wildfire PM2.5 exposure, which the EPA currently does not regulate.
- Using satellite imagery and federal mortality data, the research team linked smoke exposure across 3,068 counties and found every 0.1 microgram per cubic meter rise in PM2.5 caused about 5,594 additional deaths annually.
- Deaths rose most for neurological diseases, and Wei emphasized brain vulnerability with the finding that effects were stronger in cooler periods and rural and younger communities, with neurological disorders more affected.
- Authors called for urgent mitigation and Environmental Protection Agency action, warning that county-level analysis likely underestimates impacts and that no safe threshold exists for chronic wildfire smoke exposure.
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92 Articles
What A New Study Reveals About Wildfire Smoke Deaths In The U.S.
Long-term exposure to wildfire smoke is linked to tens of thousands of deaths each year in the United States, according to a new peer-reviewed study published Wednesday in Science Advances and reported by CBS News. Researchers found that from 2006 to 2020, chronic exposure to fine particulate matter known as PM2.5 from wildfire smoke contributed to an average of 24,100 deaths annually across the lower 48 states. These microscopic particles can p…
The forest fires are becoming larger, lasting longer and happening more frequently than the climate is — but the damage caused by toxic smoke, especially by prolonged exposure, is still not understood. A study published in this Thursday in Science Advances magazine estimates that the use of forest fires caused about 24,100 deaths per year in the United States of America between 2006 and 2020, a number which, according to the authors, highlights …
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