Wildfires kill long after the flames have gone | Letters

As deadly blazes sweep across Europe, Jane Burston warns of the longer-term dangers of black carbonThe wildfires sweeping across Europe are damaging precious habitats, destroying property and taking people’s lives (Fast-spreading wildfire kills at least 12 in southern Spain, 10 July), yet they are even more devastating to human health once the flames have died down because of the huge amount of air pollution they generate.As well as releasing carbon dioxide, wildfires also emit huge amounts of black carbon – often known as soot – into the atmosphere. Black carbon harms people’s health and is a major cause of the 7.9 million premature deaths annually attributed to air pollution. Witness the impact of toxic particles from Canadian wildfires in 2023, which killed 82,000 people, with the pollution stretching across Canada, the US and Europe. Continue reading...