Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
According to a new study, pollution from wildfires in the US state of California killed more than 52,000 people in a decade.
Every year, large areas of forest and grassland are scorched in California and other parts of the country. These blazes cause millions of dollars of destruction and sometimes cost lives. But researchers say particulate matter released by the fires also has a devastating effect on local people.
A study led by Rachel Connolly of the University of California Los Angeles found these tiny airborne pollutants – known as PM2.5 because they are 2.5 micrometres or less – are killing many people.
They found at least 52,480 premature deaths could be attributed to this specific pollution. The cost of treating people affected by the pollutants was calculated at US$432 billion (HK$3.37 trillion).
