Fine particulate matter released by the 2023 Canadian wildfires led to the death of a 9-year-old boy in British Columbia, according to The Guardian. The tragic loss represents a trend in premature deaths linked to wildfire smoke.

What's happening?

In July 2023, Amber Vigh took her son Carter to summer camp. Before heading out, she checked the app she'd always used to monitor air quality in the area because of Carter's asthma. The app indicated low levels of air pollution, and since she didn't smell any smoke, she proceeded as usual. 

However, when Carter came home from camp, he could not stop coughing. Vigh and her husband followed the doctor's protocol, using the child's emergency inhaler as well as a steroid inhaler to try to manage the persistent cough. It was unsuccessful, and Carter was rushed to the hospital. 

Tragically, he later died. The coroner said his asthma had been aggravated by wildfire smoke, The Guardian reported. 

Vigh later learned that the app she used to monitor local air quality was not as accurate as she had believed. Relying on a monitoring system more than 60 miles away, the data did not reflect the conditions of her immediate surroundings the day that Carter died. 

According to a study published in Nature this September, fine particulate matter caused by the 2023 Canadian wildfires led to 82,000 deaths across multiple regions that year, with 22,000 deaths occurring all the way in Europe. Environmental epidemiologist Cathryn Tonne told The Guardian that the calculations were "likely an underestimate."

Globally, about 1.53 million annual deaths have been attributed to "landscape fire-sourced air pollution," per a study published in The Lancet last year. Exposure to wildfire smoke has been found to impact not only lung function but also the heart, brain, liver, and kidneys as well as prenatal development and pregnancy outcomes.

What is behind worsening wildfires?

As the Canadian government has noted, 37 million acres were burned during the course of the 2023 wildfire season. Smoke drifted as far down as Georgia but also concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest of the United States. 

Wildfires release huge amounts of heat-trapping carbon dioxide and toxic particles that lower air quality and drive rising global temperatures — both of which negatively impact health and contribute to premature deaths. Smoke exposure can be harmful for everyone, but it's particularly risky for vulnerable populations, including children, pregnant people, older people, and those with pre-existing heart and lung conditions. 

Since 2023, various wildfires have intensified due to changing weather patterns, including hotter, drier, and longer-lasting droughts worldwide. California, for example, began the year with a series of highly destructive wildfires that displaced about 150,000 residents and destroyed more than 16,000 structures.

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What's being done?

Burning dirty fossil fuels for energy significantly contributes to the conditions that increase wildfire risk and lower air quality. Communities, states, and countries are transitioning to a clean energy future to reduce pollution, mitigate the rise of global temperatures, and support public health. 

Earlier this year, for example, Switzerland committed to reducing its 1990 levels of heat-trapping gases by at least 65 percent by 2035, following a 2024 European court ruling highlighting the country's lack of environmental progress. China, meanwhile, has announced plans to invest in clean energy infrastructure that can support 35 megawatts of offshore wind energy production. 

But residents who already understand the catastrophic dangers that currently exist are calling for the improvement of wildfire abatement strategies, air quality monitoring, and emergency response.

Collaborating with the BC Lung Foundation, Amber Vigh launched an initiative to distribute free air quality monitors to towns to improve local monitoring capabilities. 

"[Carter's] life was taken way too soon, but he's out there saving lives for other kids and adults," Vigh told The Guardian.

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