Study estimates 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke caused 82,000 premature deaths globally – CTV
September 10, 2025
Smoke from record-breaking Canadian wildfires in 2023 caused an estimated 5,400 acute deaths and about 82,100 premature deaths worldwide, a new study shows.
The study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature acknowledges some variation in mortality estimates depending on the methods used, but says its overall conclusion is the smoke led to an “enormous and far-reaching” health burden.
Canadian co-author Michael Brauer says the findings serve as a “wake-up call” for areas that haven’t typically seen repeated or prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke.
The health impacts will only increase with worsening climate change, he says, and understanding them is crucial for managing the risk and protecting people.
“While there is room for improved forest management and fire suppression … we’re still going to get a lot of smoke,” says Brauer, a professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia.
“So we need to learn how to live with it and I do believe we can live with it.”
