More than 400 indirect deaths linked to forest fire fires, suggests the study

It is estimated that more than 400 additional deaths are linked to forest fires that ravaged Los Angeles earlier this year, according to a new study.

The figure, published Wednesday in the Jama medical journal, examines the deaths which were allocated to factors caused by forest fires, such as poor air quality and delays in access to health care.

It is a higher figure than the official number of deaths of 31 by the County of Los Angeles, which counted the deaths caused directly by the fires.

The study occurs while hundreds of forest fires burn in the United States and Canada, which prompted air quality advice in cities like Chicago, Buffalo and New York.

Eaton’s palisades and fires torn Los Angeles in January, destroying thousands of structures and leading to the evacuation of more than 100,000 residents of Los Angeles.

The latest study revealed that around 440 people died of forest fires between January 5 and February 1.

The researchers said they had counted the figure by examining all the deaths and their causes in Los Angeles during the fire period and comparing them to similar data from previous years.

The results show that there were almost 7% more death during forest fires. Some are attributed to pulmonary and cardiac diseases exacerbated by smoke or stress, while others are more indirect – such as delayed health treatment for dialysis or cancer patients due to fire -related disturbances.

The authors said that the results highlight the need for managers to count direct and indirect deaths of forest fires and other emergencies related to the climate when they try to quantify their impact.

“They also highlight the need to improve mortality monitoring during and after forest fire emergencies,” said the authors, noting that their figures are provisional because there may have been additional deaths related to the fire beyond the scope of the study.

The BBC contacted Los Angeles County officials to comment on the results of the study.

Another study published Wednesday in Jama, which examined the consequences of MAUI 2023 forest fires showed that 22% of adults in the region had reduced pulmonary function and presented symptoms of depression.

The fires, which broke out in August 2023 and were the worst to affect Hawaii in recent history, killed at least 102 people and destroyed more than 2,000 structures.

The MAUI study authors said that their results show the need for “sustained clinical surveillance and support for community mental health” of months after a climate disaster.

A second study on Hawaii fires suggests that MAUI saw the highest suicide and medication overdose rates during the month of forest fires 2023.

Forest fires have become more frequent in recent years due to climate change, trained in warmer and drier weather which feeds the spread of fire.

In addition to directly threatening lives and structures, smoke from forest fires has had harmful health effects on people.

Forest fire smoke has proven to be harmful to certain immune cells in the lungs, with a toxicity four times higher than the particles of other types of pollution.

This can have a long -term impact on cardiovascular health, experts said.

The elderly, pregnant women and young children, as well as those who have underlying health problems, such as heart disease or asthma, are more likely to fall sick, according to experts. But smoke can also have an impact on healthy adults.