International Research Reveals 1.5 Million Annual Deaths Tied to Air Pollution from Wildfires
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Sydney, Nov 28 (NationPress) An international research initiative spearheaded by Australia has uncovered that over 1.5 million deaths worldwide annually are linked to the health repercussions of air pollution stemming from landscape fires.
As per the findings published on Thursday by Monash University in Melbourne, 1.53 million deaths each year between 2000 and 2019 were connected to air pollution from wildfires, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
The investigation revealed that more than 90 percent of all fatalities attributable to air pollution caused by landscape fires occurred in low and middle-income nations — especially in sub-Saharan Africa, southeast Asia, south Asia, and east Asia.
This comprehensive evaluation of health risks related to air pollution from landscape fires involved scholars from various universities globally.
Among the 1.53 million annual global deaths, 450,000 were linked to cardiovascular illnesses and 220,000 to respiratory ailments.
Fine particulate matter from wildfires accounted for 77.6 percent of these deaths, while surface ozone was responsible for 22.4 percent.
The study's authors stated, 'As wildfires become more frequent and intense in a warming climate, immediate action is necessary to mitigate this significant impact on climate-related mortality and the associated environmental injustices.'
The nations with the highest mortality rates connected to landscape fires were predominantly located in sub-Saharan Africa.
The authors call for high-income countries to offer financial and technological assistance to help vulnerable developing nations tackle the health impacts of air pollution from wildfires and to address the socioeconomic disparities in mortality rates.
