Jan 27, 2026 02:49 AM
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1113450
INTRO: The researchers estimate that in the US alone, smoke from wildfires may be responsible for around 17,000 strokes each year.
The research was led by Professor Yang Liu from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, US. He said: “Wildfires are becoming a major contributor to ambient air pollution. For example, in the Western US, wildfire smoke is now reversing decades of improvement in air quality.
“Stroke is a major cause of disability and death around the world, and it is becoming more common. Traditional risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes do not fully explain this trend. We are interested in understanding how long-term exposure to wildfire smoke affects the risk of having a stroke.”
The study included around 25 million people aged over 65 who were living in the US and covered by the federal health insurance programme Medicare. Around 2.9 million of these experienced a stroke between 2007 and 2018.
Researchers used artificial intelligence to estimate each person’s exposure to wildfire smoke with a measure called PM₂.₅ (the concentration of fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less). They also looked at exposure to other air pollution, and took account of known stroke risk factors, such as smoking and socio-economic status. This allowed the team to compare people’s levels of long-term exposure to wildfire smoke with the risk of stroke.
They found that for every one microgram per cubic meter (1 µg/m³) increase in the average concentration of wildfire smoke, stroke risk increased by 1.3%. The same increase in PM₂.₅ from other sources like traffic and power plants was linked to a 0.7% increase in stroke risk.
Professor Liu said: “This suggests wildfire smoke may be even more harmful to the brain and blood vessels than pollution from other sources. Looking at the US as whole, our results suggest that exposure to wildfire smoke could be responsible for around 17,000 strokes every year in this age group.
“Since most fires start in remote areas, the rural and suburban population are often exposed to a higher level of fire smoke. This is quite different from other emission sources such as traffic that mostly affect the urban population. This study does not explain why breathing wildfire smoke may be linked to stroke, but there are several possibilities...” (MORE - details, no ads)
INTRO: The researchers estimate that in the US alone, smoke from wildfires may be responsible for around 17,000 strokes each year.
The research was led by Professor Yang Liu from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, US. He said: “Wildfires are becoming a major contributor to ambient air pollution. For example, in the Western US, wildfire smoke is now reversing decades of improvement in air quality.
“Stroke is a major cause of disability and death around the world, and it is becoming more common. Traditional risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes do not fully explain this trend. We are interested in understanding how long-term exposure to wildfire smoke affects the risk of having a stroke.”
The study included around 25 million people aged over 65 who were living in the US and covered by the federal health insurance programme Medicare. Around 2.9 million of these experienced a stroke between 2007 and 2018.
Researchers used artificial intelligence to estimate each person’s exposure to wildfire smoke with a measure called PM₂.₅ (the concentration of fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less). They also looked at exposure to other air pollution, and took account of known stroke risk factors, such as smoking and socio-economic status. This allowed the team to compare people’s levels of long-term exposure to wildfire smoke with the risk of stroke.
They found that for every one microgram per cubic meter (1 µg/m³) increase in the average concentration of wildfire smoke, stroke risk increased by 1.3%. The same increase in PM₂.₅ from other sources like traffic and power plants was linked to a 0.7% increase in stroke risk.
Professor Liu said: “This suggests wildfire smoke may be even more harmful to the brain and blood vessels than pollution from other sources. Looking at the US as whole, our results suggest that exposure to wildfire smoke could be responsible for around 17,000 strokes every year in this age group.
“Since most fires start in remote areas, the rural and suburban population are often exposed to a higher level of fire smoke. This is quite different from other emission sources such as traffic that mostly affect the urban population. This study does not explain why breathing wildfire smoke may be linked to stroke, but there are several possibilities...” (MORE - details, no ads)