Wildfire Smoke Toxicology and Health

Mortality attributable to PM 2.5 from wildland fires in California from 2008 to 2018

“…In addition, wildfire PM 2.5 appears to have larger effects on mortality than undifferentiated PM 2.5 (38,80). These studies provide valuable insights into the comparative toxicology of wildfire and undifferentiated PM 2.5 , but the actual degree of increased toxicity is not fully resolved and likely complicated by the large variability in the fuel type and wildfire emissions, weather patterns, combustion profiles, and resulting physical-chemical composition, among others (19,75,81). Viewed together, however, these research findings indicate that wildfire PM 2.5 may have unique physical-chemical components that amplify its toxicity and therefore are potentially more harmful to human respiratory health compared to undifferentiated PM 2.5 from nonwildfire sources.…”