An estimate has found that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Indonesia's wildfire smoke caused 3,560 premature deaths in the month of September. In the same month, about 57.8 million people were exposed to air at levels unhealthy or hazardous to health. The death toll is an estimate, different in nature from a count compiled from hospital and funeral records.
The estimate came from CREA. There is also an analysis that the figure roughly doubled from the August estimate.
Hospital records are also serious. The number of respiratory illness patients counted by Indonesia's Ministry of Health as of late September is about 333,000. The national concentration of fine particulate matter exceeded seven times the World Health Organization (WHO) annual guideline value.
The smoke did not stop at the border.
Carried by the wind, the haze crossed into Malaysia, Singapore and Timor-Leste, clouding the air there as well. These wildfires are ranked as the most severe in 11 years.
If wildfire damage is counted only by the area of forest burned, the 3,560 people do not show up anywhere. They are people who lost their lives simply by breathing in smoke, even without suffering burns.
As haze does not recognize national borders, the response is also unlikely to end within a single country. Efforts to prevent fires before they start and cooperation among neighboring countries in exchanging air quality information must move forward together to reduce months like this September.
If you have a trip planned to Southeast Asia, check the local air quality index on your phone before departure. Cutting outdoor activity by just one hour on days when the air is poor reduces the fine particulate matter entering your lungs by that much.
