Each Year, People Start Fires That Cost 20,000 American Lives
By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter(HealthDay)TUESDAY, Jan. 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Fires started by people account for a majority of premature deaths related to inhalation of tiny smoke particles in the United States, a new study reveals.These blazes, which are increasing, led to 20,000 premature deaths in 2018. That was 270% more than in 2003, according to researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge.More than 80% of the premature deaths related to smoke particles stem from human-ignited fires, including agricultural burns and wildfires, according to the report published online Jan. 16 in the journal Environmental Research Letters.“Fires not only threaten human lives, infrastructure and ecosystems, but they are also a major cause for concern in terms of air qua...