Publication
Wind-driven wildfire smoke exposure: a quasi-experimental analysis of mortality and morbidity
| Summary: | As climate change intensifies wildfires, quantifying causal health impacts is essential. Using a wind-driven Smoke Exposure Index for the 2024 Valparaíso fire, this study estimates mortality and morbidity. Results show a significant mortality surge of 2.186 excess deaths per 100,000 inhabitants per one-standard-deviation increase in the Smoke Exposure Index during the biweekly period following the fire’s onset. Morbidity analysis reveals a "dual effect": disaster disruptions caused a drop in all-cause emergency room visits, outweighing rising injuries. Nighttime lights showed no decline. These findings quantify the acute human cost, informing public health preparedness. |
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| Main Authors: | Feil, Elias |
| Subject: | Wildfires Air pollution Mortality Morbidity Chile |
| Year: | 2026 |
| Country: | Portugal |
| Document type: | master thesis |
| Access type: | open access |
| Associated institution: | Universidade Nova de Lisboa |
| Language: | English |
| Origin: | Repositório Institucional da UNL |
| Summary: | As climate change intensifies wildfires, quantifying causal health impacts is essential. Using a wind-driven Smoke Exposure Index for the 2024 Valparaíso fire, this study estimates mortality and morbidity. Results show a significant mortality surge of 2.186 excess deaths per 100,000 inhabitants per one-standard-deviation increase in the Smoke Exposure Index during the biweekly period following the fire’s onset. Morbidity analysis reveals a "dual effect": disaster disruptions caused a drop in all-cause emergency room visits, outweighing rising injuries. Nighttime lights showed no decline. These findings quantify the acute human cost, informing public health preparedness. |
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