VIDEO: The toll of wildfires is usually counted in acres burnt, property destroyed and lives lost to smoke and flames. But three studies published Wednesday suggest the cost to human health from the Maui and Los Angeles wildfires was substantially higher. Two of the papers explore what happened after the Hawaii fire in August 2023 โ one of the deadliest U.S. wildfires in a century. A third looks at the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year.
The Maui fire was directly blamed for more than 100 deaths. But it also left 1 in 5 with lung damage and as many as half with symptoms of depression, the new research found. The month of the fire saw 13 suicide and overdose deaths, translating to nearly double the normal suicide and overdose death rates. The study of the Los Angeles fires concluded that in addition to at least 30 deaths attributed to the fire, more than 400 other deaths could be blamed on the event, due to interruptions in health care and other factors.
The studies, published in two American Medical Association journals, add “a really important piece to the understanding of the true health risks from these extreme climatic events,โ said Dr. Jonathan Patz, a University of Wisconsin environmental public health researcher who was not involved in the papers. The results conform with existing understanding of the effects of extreme weather events, some experts said.
How to track the indirect impacts of disastrous events has been a continuing subject of academic research and even legislative proposals. There have been estimates of deaths caused by extreme heat, as well as research into the large-scale toll of wildfires driven by climate change. โBut this hones in, especially on (specific) fires,โ Patz said.
One of the studies, co-led by Ruben Juarez of the University of Hawaii, looked at more than 1,100 adults six to 14 months after the Maui fire. It found lower lung function in people in areas close to the fire compared with those in lower-exposure areas. Overall, about 22% had below-normal lung function. โItโs a stark reminder that wildfires can leave an invisible but lasting scar on respiratory health, long after the flames are gone,โ Juarez said, in an email, noting that this Friday marks the two-year anniversary of the fire.
