Wildfire Smoke: Nationwide Health Risk

The document reports that the average person in the U.S. breathed more harmful wildfire smoke in 2023 than in any year since 2006, driven largely by record-shattering wildfires in Canada. It details how fine particle pollution (PM2.5) from these fires travels thousands of miles, affecting every county in the contiguous U.S. and stalling air quality improvements in 30 states. The text links these trends to a warming climate and increasing 'fire weather,' noting that human-caused climate change accounts for at least two-thirds of the rapid increase in fire weather in the western U.S.

• The average person in the United States experienced significantly higher levels of smoke-related air pollution in 2023 compared to previous years. Through August 31, 2023, exposure to fine particle pollution from smoke was approximately 66% higher than in the previous record year of 2021, and higher than any year since 2006.
• Wildfire smoke is a universal air quality issue across the contiguous U.S., with every county experiencing at least 16 smoke days annually. While the West sees the highest frequency—with parts of California, Oregon, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida averaging 90-111 days—long-range transport means that about three-quarters of smoke-linked mortality and asthma morbidity occur in other U.S. regions due to higher population density.
• Increasing wildfire smoke has negatively impacted long-term air quality trends in 30 U.S. states since 2016. In 22 states, improvements in fine particle pollution have stalled, and in eight states, they have been reversed, with the most severe effects occurring in Washington, Oregon, and California.
• Climate change is driving an increase in 'fire weather'—hot, dry, and windy conditions. In the western U.S., human-caused climate change is responsible for at least two-thirds of the rapid increase in fire weather in recent decades. Specifically, Texas, New Mexico, and Southern California have seen about two additional months of fire weather compared to 1973.

APA

Burke, M., & Qiu, M. (2023). Wildfire Smoke: Nationwide Health Risk. Climate Central. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/wildfire-smoke-nationwide-health-risk-2023

Chicago

Burke, Marshall, and Minghao Qiu. Wildfire Smoke: Nationwide Health Risk. Climate Central, 2023. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/wildfire-smoke-nationwide-health-risk-2023.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Burke |first1=Marshall |last2=Qiu |first2=Minghao |title=Wildfire Smoke: Nationwide Health Risk |publisher=Climate Central |date=4 October 2023 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/wildfire-smoke-nationwide-health-risk-2023 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{burke2023wildfire, author = {Burke, Marshall and Qiu, Minghao}, title = {{Wildfire Smoke: Nationwide Health Risk}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/wildfire-smoke-nationwide-health-risk-2023}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }