A study estimates how many early deaths occurred from California wildfire smoke exposure over 11 years By Wildfire season got off to an early start in Northern California with the Corral Fire, which started burning grasslands in San Joaquin County on June 1 and grew to cover more than 50 square kilometers. A new modeling study estimates the health effects on the state’s population due to plumes of smoke from fires like this one — not only in the first few days, but also after years of exposure. Researchers estimate that fine particulate matter pollution spewing from California wildfires from 2008 through 2018 was responsible for in the state.
The estimated economic benefit of reducing that early mortality is $432 billion to $456 billion, the team reports June 7 in . The study finds “quite a considerable impact” from wildfire smoke exposure over time, says environmental health scientist Stephanie Cleland of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada, and the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. Health impact assessments like this underscore the benefit of investments to build smoke resiliency, says Cleland, who wasn’t involved in the study.
Fine particulate matter, called PM , describes airborne particles of pollution that have a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller. Once inhaled, these microscopic particles can travel all the way to the lungs’ alveoli, the delicate air sacs surrounded by tiny blood vessels, where oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide.
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