Science‘I couldn’t breathe’: the deadly health burden of wildfire smoke

Scientists are working to clarify how wildfire-smoke exposure contributes to deaths as severe fire weather becomes more common. A Lancet study estimated that landscape-fire fumes kill 1.5 million people annually, while a Nature study linked Canada’s 2023 wildfire smoke to 82,000 premature deaths, with some of the burden reaching the US and Europe.

wildfire smokeair pollutionpublic health

TThe Guardian★★★★☆2026-08-08 05:00Original