A study published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Health tracked exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wildfires across the United States between 2003 and 2019. Scientists found that although emissions from transportation and industry have declined, smoke from increasingly frequent and intense wildfires is offsetting some of the progress made in protecting public health.
The study found that prenatal exposure to wildfire smoke more than doubled over the 17-year period analyzed, particularly in western U.S. states, where longer wildfire seasons have become the norm, Euronews reports. Researchers estimate that about 65% of the days when air quality exceeded safe levels for pregnant women were attributable to wildfire smoke.
“Growing wildfire activity is systematically eroding improvements in air quality for pregnant women achieved through reductions in [human-caused emissions], with low-income, rural, and Indigenous communities being disproportionately affected. As wildfire activity continues to intensify, this could further undermine the progress that has been made,” the researchers noted.
PM2.5 consists of microscopic particles capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and entering the bloodstream. They have long been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth and low birth weight. Researchers note that PM2.5 produced by wildfires may be even more toxic than pollution from transportation or industrial sources because of its complex chemical composition.
Europe experiences destructive wildfires every summer, from Greece and Portugal to Spain and southern France. This has prompted scientists and public health authorities to warn that climate change is creating new health risks alongside its more obvious destructive consequences.
The European Union’s climate monitoring service and health authorities have repeatedly warned that rising temperatures are increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires, exposing millions of Europeans to smoke that can travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometers across borders.
As climate change accelerates, experts say governments may need to expand health protection recommendations for vulnerable groups, including pregnant women. This could include improving forecasts of smoke plume movement, issuing early health-risk warnings, and ensuring access to clean indoor air during major wildfires.
The study highlights an uncomfortable paradox for policymakers: decades of investment in reducing the health risks associated with human-caused air pollution are being undermined by climate change itself. Even as cities become cleaner, extreme weather events are creating new sources of pollution that health systems will need to learn how to manage.
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