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How a dangerous stew of air pollution is choking the United States

Fires and droughts in the western states are getting worse — and they’re combining with industrial sources to threaten air quality and people’s health.
  1. Virginia Gewin

    1. Virginia Gewin is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon.

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The melted sign of the Oak Park Motel destroyed by the flames of the Beachie Creek Fire is seen in Gates, east of Salem, Oregon.

Smoke from wildfires in Oregon in 2020 caused some of the worst air pollution in that area on record. Credit: Rob Schumacher/AFP via Getty

In September 2020, the skies in Oregon turned crimson as dozens of wildfires scorched forests in the Cascade Mountains. In just three days, the blazes engulfed nearly 4,000 square kilometres — more than had burnt in Oregon during the previous 36 years combined.

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Nature 612, 204-207 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-04333-9

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