Wildfires Produced Up to Half of Pollution in U.S. West, Study Says Pollution emissions declined from other sources, but the amount pollution from wildfires has increased sharply in recent years, according to researchers. By Matthew Brown •
Updated on January 12, 2021 at 10:06 am
NBC Universal, Inc.
Wildfire smoke accounted for up to half of all health-damaging small particle air pollution in the western U.S. in recent years as warming temperatures fueled more destructive blazes, according to a study released Monday.
Even as pollution emissions declined from other sources, including vehicle exhaust and power plants, the amount from fires increased sharply, said researchers at Stanford University and the University of California, San Diego.