Editorial: Health risks of wildfire smoke hit home for Marin

Wildfire smoke is certainly a more frequent experience these days. Its potential to turn the air foul has always been part of life for many across California.

Now, with a new study quantifying premature deaths caused by the impacts of wildfire smoke throughout the state – including significant numbers right here, all of us need to be ready to raise awareness and take precautions.

The study, led by two scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, was published in Science Advances. It reported that the deaths of 499 Marin residents (of more than 52,000 deaths statewide) qualified during the period from 2008-2018.

For comparison, that’s just less than double Marin’s 260 residents who died after contracting COVID-19 since it arrived in 2020.

Of course, Marin County is known for world-class outdoor recreation and mild evenings under the stars. None of us want to give that up, even if a faraway fire turns the sky brown. But the evidence is becoming clear.

Keeping a collection of N95 masks makes sense. So does signing up for alerts from public agencies charged with monitoring air quality. Staying informed and protected is best.

Dr. Matt Willis, Marin’s public health officer, understands the risks for county residents.

“This study is a big step in showing that inhaling wildfire smoke is a lot like smoking cigarettes,” he said. “It’s damaging to our lungs and heart.”

Willis is hopeful that steps taken by public health departments across the state since the end of the study period in 2018 will reveal better numbers in future research. But if the frequency of wildfires continues to increase, the work could be negated by exposure.

Hopefully, better forest management and climate mitigation will eventually keep unavoidable wildfires from becoming massive and filling our atmosphere with smoke.

In the meantime, for the long-term health of everyone, we should follow the lead of public health officials, check the air quality and keep N95s handy.