NYT: What the Newest Research on Wildfire Smoke Tells Us. (It’s not good.) – Gift Link

Research is in the early stages but scientists have found:

That people are being exposed to more toxins than previously known, and beyond damaging lungs, wildfire smoke may affect hearts, brains and other organs. One study in 2025 estimated that smoke could kill as many as 1.9 million people in the United States over three decades.

And

Wildfire pollution is often measured by the concentration of airborne particles known as PM2.5, which can penetrate deep into the lungs.

But that can understate risk, said Kari Nadeau, a physician and dean of the U.C.L.A. Fielding School of Public Health, who is studying the consequences of the 2025 Los Angeles fires. That’s because PM2.5, a primary pollutant measured by air quality indexes, doesn’t reflect other substances that wildfire smoke can contain, including lead, mercury and formaldehyde.

The NYT story will be updated as new research is published. This gift link expires in 30 days; I’ll try to remember to update it once a month but if you cross paths with the post and find that the link no longer works, let me know and I’ll update it.

Link.