, Columnist
The Hollywood Fires Will Cause Harm Long After They Burn Out
A stealthy cloud of pollution seeping into people’s lungs will be felt for years to come.
A long-term health impact.
Photographer: DAVID SWANSON/AFP/Getty Images
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What could be more terrifying than a wall of flame sweeping through the suburbs of Los Angeles? The stealthy cloud of pollution seeping into people’s lungs many miles from the conflagration, which will be causing harm long after the last ember burns out.
Burning palm trees and multi-million-dollar mansions turned into ash make an unforgettable symbol of the damage climate change is wreaking. An even greater toll, however, will be counted in lives cut short not by the violence of a wildfire, but by the slow poisoning unleashed by its flames.