Wildfire Smoke Pollution: A Silent National Threat Killing Thousands Annually

As wildfires ravage large swaths of our nation with increasing frequency and intensity, a grave threat to American lives often goes unnoticed behind the billowing smoke: particulate pollution. A recent comprehensive study published in Science Advances reveals that chronic exposure to fine particles from wildfire smoke is linked to an alarming average of 24,100 deaths per year across the contiguous United States. This deadly toll underscores a critical failure in federal policy and forest management that directly endangers hardworking American families. While climate change aggravates wildfire risks, decades of forest mismanagement combined with sprawling development into fire-prone areas have expanded...