Marshall Burke, an associate professor at Stanford, and his colleague Sam Heft-Neal estimate that one day of smoke from the California wildfires killed 1200-3000 people over age 65, and caused 4800 emergency room visits. The estimate of 1200 is looking at deaths over the next 3 days after the smoke exposure, the estimate of 3000 looking at deaths over the next month. Both are after only one day of smoke exposure – many areas in the West experienced many days of smoke exposure. Air pollution levels were at unhealthy, very unhealthy or hazardous levels for many days, and there are still areas with unhealthy or very unhealthy air. There have been 26 people killed directly by the fires.
Our hearts are with people in the West who lost homes, businesses, or loved ones in the wildfires.
Because this estimate was only for California, only for one day of smoke exposure, and only for people 65 and older, the true number who died or were sickened because of the smoke from wildfires in the western U.S. is likely much higher.
This estimate is not an actual study based on mortality or hospital data, it is too soon to have that data. It is an estimate based on past studies of particulate matter and the health problems and deaths it causes, and the number of people receiving Medicare who live in California.
Scientists agree that climate change intensified the wildfire season in the western U.S. this year. We need to take action now, to keep it from getting any worse.
Read a newspaper article in the San Jose Mercury News about the estimate.
Read the estimate from Burke and Heft-Neal here.
