Wildfire smoke linked to early deaths

In the US—particularly in the West—climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires. Smoke produced by these fires has been linked to reduced lung function, cognitive decline, increased risk of heart attacks, and early deaths. A recent study estimates that from 2008 to 2018, exposure to air pollutants called fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) in wildfire smoke resulted in 52,500–55,700 premature deaths in California ( Sci. Adv. 2024, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adl1252 ). The researchers calculated a potential economic benefit of between $432 billion and $456 billion from reducing such mortality risks. "The numbers definitely surprised us," says Rachel Connolly, an environmental health researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, and lead author of the study, in an email. "These findings are a call to action for forest management and climate mitigation." Unlike many previous studies, the work by Connolly and her colleagues distinguished PM 2.5 derived from