Wildfires cost more than 33,000 lives every year

Much attention has already been paid to the impact of massive fires in the Amazon, Australia and the US on animals. But their impact on people is also not small.

In recent years we have seen a significant increase in the number and size of wildfires. Think back to the devastating fires that ravaged Australia in 2019 and 2020, the 1.2 million hectares that have gone up in flames in the US state of California since 2019 or the extensive fires in the Amazon rainforest. Even in normally icy Siberia, as many as 190 fires have already raged, releasing record-breaking amounts of carbon dioxide.

animals

We know that these devastating fires are so devastating that they have endangered many species of plants, animals and other organisms. Millions if not billions of birds, mammals and reptiles are affected during such wildfires; directly through death or indirectly through habitat loss. Much attention has therefore been paid to the impact that massive fires in the Amazon, Australia and the US have on animals. But their impact on people is also significant, according to new research.

Bandage

In a new study, researchers have studied the global impact of air pollution caused by wildfires on humans. They also examined the deaths. The researchers analyzed data from more than 65.6 million deaths in 749 cities across 43 countries and regions between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2016. And the results are worrisome. For example, it appears that more than 33,500 deaths occur each year that can be directly linked to wildfires.

PM.2.5

The team found a clear link between short-term exposure to fine particles (particularly PM2.5) and an increase in hospitalizations and deaths. During wildfires a lot of smoke is produced. And this smoke contains PM2.5: ultra-fine particles and soot with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller. These pollutants are of great concern. They are released during the combustion of fossil fuels, including petrol, diesel and other fuels such as coal, oil and biomass, but also during devastating wildfires. When released during natural tires, it is even more toxic than when blown into the air during urban fires. This has to do with the chemical composition, the smaller particle size and the associated high temperatures.

Health issues

You would rather not inhale these fine particles. They are known to have serious health consequences. They are linked to several serious health problems, such as heart and lung disease, cancer and respiratory problems. Even short-term exposure to PM.2.5 can cause asthma, heart attacks, strokes, reduced lung function, hospitalizations and premature death.

Effects

According to the researchers, on the one hand, forest fires can have direct consequences for human health. Think of injuries and the impact of such destructive events on your mental health. But it also has a somewhat more indirect effect. “The toxic smoke released during the fires can rise as high as 2,000 to 2,500 kilometers and travel great distances,” said researcher Yuming Guo. “This also threatens people thousands of miles away.” It turns out that these people, who are far from the crime scene, still inhale harmful, polluting particles from wildfires.

To land

This is leading to a sharp increase in the number of hospital admissions in Brazil, among others. For example, the researchers calculated that about 47,000 Brazilians are hospitalized every year as a result of air pollution caused by wildfires. This mainly concerns children of four years and younger, children between five and nine years and people of 80 years and older. But as mentioned, it also costs tens of thousands of human lives worldwide. The researchers also made a list of countries where the most deaths occur. At the top of this list are Japan (with more than 7000 deaths in 47 cities annually), Mexico (more than 3000 deaths in 10 cities), China (more than 1200 deaths in 15 cities), South Africa (more than 5200 deaths in 52 cities), Thailand (nearly 5,400 deaths in 62 cities), and the United States (with nearly 3,200 deaths in 210 cities).

Although these are alarming figures, the question is whether anything can be changed in the short term. “The risk of wildfires is expected to increase as climate change worsens,” Guo said. According to the researchers, policymakers and health professionals should be more aware of the air pollution caused by wildfires. “We should take more measures to reduce exposure,” they write. “Think of effective policies to better protect vegetation and limit climate change as much as possible.”