New Study Highlights Tangible Health and Economic Impacts of Wildfire Smoke Pollution
A recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal Science of the Total Environment has found that particulate matter pollution from wildfire smoke is linked to an annual 4,000 to 9,000 premature deaths and an economic cost of between $36 and $82 billion in the United States.
Researchers from the University of Houston, Cornell University, and Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology in China sought to examine the specific impact of wildfire smoke pollution on several cities in the United States. To do so, they used satellite data from 2012 to 2014 to track the effects of wildfire emissions on air quality to create a model capable of assessing how particle pollution (PM2.5) could impact human health as well as the economy.
According to the model:
- Los Angeles, which is downwind from west coast wildfires, had 119 premature deaths annually and a $1.07 billion financial burden as a result of wildfire pollution
- Atlanta, which is downwind from fires in the Southern United States, had 76 premature deaths and a $690 million financial burden as a result of wildfire pollution
- Houston had $65 premature deaths and a $580 million financial burden as a result of wildfire pollution
Researchers noted that, in the long term, the following states are likely to experience the greatest economic losses and the highest number of premature deaths due to the volume of pollutants carried their way:
- California
- Florida
- Texas
- Georgia
- Alabama
- North Carolina
What Is Particulate...
Read Full Story: https://cleanair.camfil.us/2023/07/08/new-study-highlights-tangible-health-and-economic-impacts-of-wildfire-smoke-pollution/
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.