Bushfire smoke pollution killing about 500 Australians each year

Australia’s bushfires are killing people up to 1000km from fire grounds through unseen pollution, with this hidden death toll set to rise.

Smoke from the East Gippsland and NSW fires blanketing Melbourne in January 2020. Picture: Getty

Smoke pollution from bushfires is killing almost 500 Australians each year but is set to rise sharply, an exhaustive Melbourne study has found.

One of the most comprehensive global studies into the full impact of wildfires has revealed Australia has one of the world’s highest rates of death — with deadly smoke particles now attributed to almost one in every 100 lives lost across the nation’s east coast.

Respiratory illness, heart attacks and a range of other cardiovascular conditions are claiming lives up to 1000km from fire grounds through unseen pollution choking lungs, the 16-year study of fires and health data has revealed.

Led by Melbourne’s Monash University, the analysis of airborne smoke pollution across 43 countries found 33,500 deaths each year are directly attributable to wildfires across the 749 cities monitored in the study.

But while highly-populated nations Japan, Mexico, China, South Africa, Thailand, and the USA are suffering the greatest losses, Australia’s rates of fire-related deaths per head of population are the eighth highest recorded.

Respiratory illness and cardiovascular conditions are claiming lives 1000km from fire grounds. Picture: David Caird

Between 2000-2017, an average of 483 residents spread across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane were found to have died each year directly due to wildfire-related fine particulate matters in the air.

Lead researcher Professor Yuming Guo said the inclusion of other Australian cities and the disastrous 2019-2020 fire season – which devastated 45 million acres and blanketed cities in smoke for several weeks but occurred after the analysis period – would have driven the annual toll higher.

“Fire smoke can be spread from one area to another area about 1000km away,” Proff Gue said.

“Particularly for the people living around the bushfire area, and even people living far away, if they smell smoke they should take care of themselves and take car of their families.

“Governments also should take some action to protect people, for example providing public areas to take care of vulnerable people if their houses are not good.”

Bushfires turn the sky above Bruthen in East Gippsland red in January 2020. Picture: Getty

Publishing results in the The Lancet Planetary Health, the Monash-led team found the most dangerous pollutant within wildfires smoke is fine particulate matter known as PM2.5, which range in size but can enter into the lungs, across the alveoli in the lung walls and into a persons’ circulation.

Prof Guo said the bushfire particles were more toxic than those released in urban fires, impacting respiratory, blood, renal and metabolic systems, as well as impacting on mental health and contributing to suicide.

The researchers examined the details of more than 65.6 million deaths from all causes across the 749 cities, cross referencing them with daily monitoring of PM2.5 wildfire concentrations to pinpoint those related to the smoke pollution.

With smoke pollution potentially lethal for two or three days after a fire has passed, Prof Guo said governments had to provide better shelter options for those with existing health conditions.

He also warned that compared to many other countries Australia was doing little to combat the impact of climate change, which would see cause the rates of bushfire-related deaths to climb further in the medium and longer term.

“Policy makers and public health professionals should raise awareness of wildfire pollution to guide prompt public responses and take actions to reduce exposure,” he said.

“Effective wildland management policies and practices should be implemented to manage vegetation and mitigate climate change as far as possible.”