Australia's summer bushfire smoke killed 445 and put thousands in hospital, inquiry hears

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Smoke from the Australian bushfires of the 2019-20 summer caused an estimated 445 deaths and put more than 4,000 people in hospital, a royal commission has heard.

Eighty per cent of the Australian population was affected by smoke from the fires, which burned in six states across six months.

Associate Prof Fay Johnston, an environmental health expert from the University of Tasmania, said the health problems from bushfire smoke were much greater than the health impact of the fires themselves.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/26/australias-summer-bushfire-smoke-killed-445-and-put-thousands-in-hospital-inquiry-hears

Smoke haze from the bushfires over Melbourne in January

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