Landscape fire air pollution linked to 1.53 million deaths annually, highlighting global health disparities

  Reference Xu R, Ye T, Huang W, et al. Global, regional, and national mortality burden attributable to air pollution from landscape fires: a health impact assessment study. Lancet. Published online November 27, 2024. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(24)02251-7. Summary Here is a summary of the main findings on the global mortality burden attributable to air pollution from landscape fires (LFS) are as follows: Global mortality burden: Landscape fire air pollution caused approximately 1.53 million deaths annually between 2000 and 2019. These deaths were primarily due to cardiovascular diseases (450,000 deaths per year) and respiratory conditions (220,000 deaths per year). Dominance of fine particulate matter (PM2.5PM2.5​): Fine particulate matter (PM2.5PM2.5​) was responsible for 77.6% of these deaths, while ozone (O3O3​) contributed 22.4%. Geographical disparities: Over 90% of deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries, with sub-Saharan Africa experiencing the highest burden (606,769 deaths annually). Other high-burden regions included Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Asia. Countries with the highest death toll: China,...