Australian bushfire smoke killed more people than the fires did, study says
2020-03-21 09:50:07 source：CBS News
March 20, 2020
The bushfires in Australia killed at least 33 people in the six months they tore through the continent — but it was the pollution they caused that killed the most people, according to a new study. New research has found that the smoke from the bushfires caused approximately 417 deaths and thousands of hospitalizations between October 2019 and February 2020.
The research, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, found that the smoke was responsible for 1,124 cardiovascular-related hospital admissions, 2,027 respiratory-related hospital admissions, and 1,305 asthma-related emergency room admissions. Most of the cases were in New South Wales, the state hardest hit by the Australian wildfires. In that region alone, thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes and more than 800 million animals are estimated to have been killed.
"Weather conditions conducive to extreme bushfires are becoming more frequent as a consequence of climate change," the study's six authors wrote in their report. "Such fires have substantial social, ecological, and economic effects, including the effects on public health associated with smoke, such as premature mortality and exacerbation of cardio‐respiratory conditions."
Read more: