Study shows: 50,000 Californians died from wildfire smoke within a decade – Mother Jones

The 2022 McKinney fire in the Klamath River, California. Mark McKenna/Zuma

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More than 50,000 people have died prematurely in California over a decade due to exposure to toxic particles in smoke from wildfires, a new study finds.

Wildfires produce smoke that contains PM2.5, tiny particles about one-thirtieth the width of a human hair that can lodge deep in the lungs and enter the bloodstream. The particles have been linked to numerous health problems and premature death. Previous research has found that wildfire smoke exposes millions of people in the United States to this harmful pollutant.

In a study published in Scientific advances This week, researchers used a new epidemiological model to examine the impact of exposure to PM2.5 emissions from wildfires between 2008 and 2018: a period that includes some of the state’s most destructive and deadly fire seasons. According to the study, there were at least 52,480 premature deaths attributed to exposure to the respirable particles from wildfires and at least $432 billion in health care costs related to the exposure.

The study is the first to quantify the long-term effects of chronic exposure to PM2.5 specifically from wildfires rather than other sources. It has important implications for California, said Rachel Connolly, one of the study’s authors. The results suggest that wildfires are responsible for more deaths and greater economic impacts than previous studies have suggested.

“The results are really a call to action for forest management and climate change mitigation,” said Connolly, who is project leader at the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and also works at the Fielding School of Public Health.

The impact of PM2.5 pollution on human health is only just beginning to be recognized by researchers, but the particles can impair lung function and worsen existing health conditions, including respiratory problems and heart disease.

Fine dust particles from wildfires may be more harmful to human health than particles from other sources, the study says. They are also linked to respiratory diseases and an increase in hospitalizations. Other studies have linked exposure to wildfire smoke to an increased risk of heart attacks and premature births.