Study estimates 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke caused 82,000 premature deaths globally

Smoke from record-breaking Canadian wildfires in 2023 caused an estimated 5,400 acute deaths and about 82,100 premature deaths worldwide, a new study shows.

The study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature acknowledges some variation in mortality estimates depending on the methods used, but says its overall conclusion is the smoke led to an "enormous and far-reaching" health burden.

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Of the estimated 82,100 premature deaths due to continuous exposure to the smoke over several months, the paper says 64,300 occurred in North America and Europe, including 33,000 deaths in the United States and 8,300 in Canada.

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The study shows the chronic impacts were far greater than the acute effects, Brauer says, referring to increased ambulance dispatches, emergency room visits and hospitalizations that occur during or shortly after a smoke event.

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The paper concludes that "further well-designed epidemiological studies on this topic are urgently needed" to hone researchers' understanding of the health impacts of wildfire smoke in contrast to other kinds of air pollution.