Short-term increase in PM2.5 concentrations due to landscape fires lead to significant increases in childhood hospital admissions: Study

Published on : 27 Oct 2025, 12:00 pm

Short-term exposure to landscape fire-sourced fine particulate matter (LFS PM2.5) is associated with increased hospital admissions for multiple diseases in children and adolescents, a study found.

LFS PM2.5 was associated with increased risks of all-cause, respiratory, infectious, cardiovascular, neurological, diabetes, cancer, and digestive hospital admissions among children. During 2000 to 2019, 67.9 million all-cause hospital admissions among children and adolescents aged 0-19 years were recorded.

The study published in Nature Communications on October 22, 2025, is the most comprehensive multi-country/territory study to data exploring the associations between LFS PM2.5 and child morbidity.

Landscape fires occur in natural (forests, grassl