As wildfires rage across North America, new study says smoke is 14 times more lethal than earlier estimates
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Why wildfire smoke is so lethal
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
For every 1 µg/m³ rise in PM2.5, all-cause mortality increased by 0.7 per cent, respiratory mortality by 1 per cent, and cardiovascular mortality by 0.9 per cent.
Researchers found wildfire-generated PM2.5 is more harmful than traffic-related pollutants, intensifying risks of respiratory and heart diseases.
How the study was conducted
They combined daily mortality records with fire-related and non-fire-related PM2.5 levels.
By broadening the timeline to include deaths occurring within seven days of exposure, the study captured wildfire smoke's delayed but deadly effects.
Previous estimates were dangerously low
A climate-linked threat to global health
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
As North America battles one of its most destructive wildfire seasons, with more than 40,000 blazes scorching nearly 3 million acres in the US and over 5.5 million acres in Canada as of July 2025, a new study warns that the health toll of wildfire smoke is far deadlier than previously believed.Researchers now say short-term exposure to smoke-related fine particles is linked to 14 times more deaths than past estimates suggested.According to the study, the health risks of wildfire smoke were underestimated by nearly 93 percent. Published in The Lancet Planetary Health by researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), the findings suggest exposure to wildfire smoke is responsible for an average of 535 deaths annually.In California alone, 5,362 wildfires have resulted in 31 fatalities this year as per the CalFire data.The study examined wildfire pollutants, particularly fine particulate matter (PM2.5), microscopic particles small enough to penetrate the lungs and bloodstream deeply.'These estimates were made using specific data on how wildfire smoke affects health, allowing for a more precise calculation compared to general air pollution data,' the authors noted.The team relied on data from the EARLY-ADAPT project, covering 654 regions across 32 European countries and a population of 541 million people between 2004 and 2022.The study found that short-term exposure to wildfire smoke particles (PM2.5) caused an average of 535 deaths each year, including 31 from respiratory diseases and 184 from cardiovascular causes.Earlier methods that treated wildfire smoke the same as other fine particles had suggested only 38 deaths per year, a massive undercount.By applying risk data specific to wildfire smoke, researchers discovered that the actual toll is nearly 14 times higher, meaning previous estimates underestimated the danger by 93 percent.As the climate crisis fuels longer fire seasons and more intense blazes, exposure to wildfire smoke is expected to rise dramatically.'The rising frequency and intensity of wildfires makes improving estimates of PM2.5-related wildfire mortality imperative to better track this climate change-related threat,' said Anna Alari, ISGlobal researcher and study co-author.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
When Machines Take Over: Lancet Study Warns Doctors Could Lose Critical Skills from Regular AI Use
Why Does Skill Loss Occur? Striking a Safe Balance Live Events As AI technologies become more embedded in clinical practices, their ability to transform medicine is being hailed globally. The promise: Accelerated diagnoses, reduced errors, and customized treatments. But hidden behind these shiny possibilities is a subtle danger: the deskilling of physicians who become overly dependent on AI assistance.A landmark study in The Lancet included 1,443 colonoscopy procedures across several Polish healthcare facilities, with skilled endoscopists who perform these regularly. Researchers detected a significant reduction in physicians' capacity to spot precancerous growths without AI after AI support was implemented: adenoma detection rates reduced from 28.4% to 22.4% a 20% relative decrease within months of regular AI exposure. This indicates that during the time before AI existed, physicians detected fewer precancerous tumours than after they began working with machine and accuracy of AI can produce a false sense of security, luring physicians into deferring to machines and eventually making less autonomous decisions. This "automation bias" makes clinicians doubt their own judgment; they may even defer to AI suggestions, opting for technical concurrence over professional judgment, a problem particularly dangerous when AI systems fail or become unavailable because of from colonoscopy, specialists fear this wave may cascade through other areas of medicine. As medical dependence on AI increases, abilities sharpened by years of practice and training can become stale much like drivers who rely too heavily on autopilot are likely to be unprepared in case of emergencies. Deskilling could render physicians liable if technology malfunctions or needs close attention. The Lancet study authors and independent commentators urge the medical community not to rush headlong into full AI adoption. They call for more robust research into AI's long-term impact on clinical skills and strategies for safeguarding human expertise. The key may lie in collaborating with AI as a partner, not a replacement, and in maintaining training requirements that ensure doctors can always revert to 'manual mode' when technology AI promises to deliver vast potential, the silent erosion of core clinical competencies must serve as a wake-up call. The finest medicine is a combination of innovation and unreplaceable human judgment a marriage of code and compassion
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Novo Nordisk Shares Rise After FDA Approves Wegovy for Liver Disease
Novo Nordisk shares climbed after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new indication for the Danish drugmaker's blockbuster Wegovy medicine to treat a serious fatty liver disease. Shares in Novo Nordisk rose as much as 5% in early European trading Monday, regaining some ground after losing more than half of their value over the past year. The company said Friday that it received FDA approval for a new Wegovy indication as a treatment of a fatty liver disease known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, in adults with moderate to advanced liver fibrosis. The approval comes at a challenging time for Novo Nordisk, which has seen its first-mover advantage in the obesity market eroded by rival Eli Lilly and copycat versions of its medicine, while a new experimental combination weight-loss drug proved less effective than expected in a late-stage trial. The challenges weighed on the company's share price and Novo Nordisk cut guidance twice this year and replaced its chief executive. While Wegovy is best known as a weight-loss injection, clinical studies have pointed to benefits in other health conditions beyond obesity. The FDA also approved the drug to reduce cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, in individuals at high risk of these. Its sister drug Ozempic, which shares with Wegovy the active ingredient semaglutide, is approved for diabetes. 'Wegovy is now uniquely positioned as the first and only GLP-1 treatment approved for MASH, complementing the already proven weight loss, cardiovascular benefits and extensive body of evidence linked to semaglutide,' Novo Nordisk's Chief Scientific Officer and head of research and development Martin Holst Lange said. Novo Nordisk said its FDA application was based on results from a late-stage clinical trial. The trial results are also the basis of the company's filings for approval in the European Union and Japan, it said. Rival Eli Lilly said last year that a mid-stage trial showed tirzepatide—the active ingredient in its popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound—drug beat placebo in resolving MASH, with more than half of patients achieving improvement in fibrosis at 52 weeks. About 14.9 million people in the U.S., or about 6% of the adult population, have MASH and its prevalence is expanding, according to the FDA. Write to Adria Calatayud at
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Time of India
As wildfires rage across North America, new study says smoke is 14 times more lethal than earlier estimates
A recent study reveals the deadly impact of wildfire smoke, linking short-term exposure to significantly more deaths than previously estimated. Researchers found that wildfire-generated fine particulate matter is far more harmful than traffic-related pollutants, increasing the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. As climate change intensifies wildfires, understanding and tracking this threat becomes crucial for global health. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Why wildfire smoke is so lethal Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads For every 1 µg/m³ rise in PM2.5, all-cause mortality increased by 0.7 per cent, respiratory mortality by 1 per cent, and cardiovascular mortality by 0.9 per cent. Researchers found wildfire-generated PM2.5 is more harmful than traffic-related pollutants, intensifying risks of respiratory and heart diseases. How the study was conducted They combined daily mortality records with fire-related and non-fire-related PM2.5 levels. By broadening the timeline to include deaths occurring within seven days of exposure, the study captured wildfire smoke's delayed but deadly effects. Previous estimates were dangerously low A climate-linked threat to global health Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads As North America battles one of its most destructive wildfire seasons, with more than 40,000 blazes scorching nearly 3 million acres in the US and over 5.5 million acres in Canada as of July 2025, a new study warns that the health toll of wildfire smoke is far deadlier than previously now say short-term exposure to smoke-related fine particles is linked to 14 times more deaths than past estimates to the study, the health risks of wildfire smoke were underestimated by nearly 93 percent. Published in The Lancet Planetary Health by researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), the findings suggest exposure to wildfire smoke is responsible for an average of 535 deaths California alone, 5,362 wildfires have resulted in 31 fatalities this year as per the CalFire study examined wildfire pollutants, particularly fine particulate matter (PM2.5), microscopic particles small enough to penetrate the lungs and bloodstream deeply.'These estimates were made using specific data on how wildfire smoke affects health, allowing for a more precise calculation compared to general air pollution data,' the authors team relied on data from the EARLY-ADAPT project, covering 654 regions across 32 European countries and a population of 541 million people between 2004 and study found that short-term exposure to wildfire smoke particles (PM2.5) caused an average of 535 deaths each year, including 31 from respiratory diseases and 184 from cardiovascular methods that treated wildfire smoke the same as other fine particles had suggested only 38 deaths per year, a massive applying risk data specific to wildfire smoke, researchers discovered that the actual toll is nearly 14 times higher, meaning previous estimates underestimated the danger by 93 the climate crisis fuels longer fire seasons and more intense blazes, exposure to wildfire smoke is expected to rise dramatically.'The rising frequency and intensity of wildfires makes improving estimates of PM2.5-related wildfire mortality imperative to better track this climate change-related threat,' said Anna Alari, ISGlobal researcher and study co-author.
