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Wildfires are making the U.S. smoggy, reversing progress on cleaner air again, study finds

Nbcwashington · 🇺🇸 public United States · · 998 words · By Seth Borenstein; The Associated Press
Environmental Regulation climate_change Public Health
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What to know about Environmental Regulation

For more than a decade, the United States dramatically reduced its national smog levels, but since 2015 smoke from increasingly larger wildfires is reversing that clean-up trend and making the air dirtier and deadlier, a new study finds.

Claims checked 13
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

For more than a decade, the United States dramatically reduced its national smog levels, but since 2015 smoke from increasingly larger wildfires is reversing that clean-up trend and making the air dirtier and deadlier, a new study finds.

Why it matters

Scientists say climate change deserves much, but not all, of the blame.

Common ground

Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/wildfires-us-smog-clea…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4
schedule Pending 3
check_circle Corroborated 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
verified Verified 1
schedule
Claim 1: “Climate change... increased the intensity of Canada's 2023 fire season by at least 50% and doubled the chances of the drier, hotter weather conditions that were needed for the fire, a 2023 study found”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 2: “Smoke from that year's Canadian fires killed 82,100 people globally — 33,000 in the United States — because of the particle pollution, a study in 2025 calculated”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 3: “Wildfire smoke increased particle pollution deaths by about 670 per year, the 2023 study found”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While evidence discusses wildfire smoke deaths and PM2.5, none of the provided sources mention the specific figure of '670 deaths per year' from a 2023 study.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2023 (MMXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2023rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 23rd year of the 3rd millennium and the 21…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 6 February 2023, at 04:17:35 TRT (01:17:35 UTC), a moment magnitude (Mw) 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. The epicenter was 37 km (23 mi) west–north…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Turkey–Syria_earthquakes
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the existing war between the two countries that began when Ru…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war_(2022–pres…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “a 2023 study by many of the same team... found the downward trend in soot levels had similarly reversed”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results from June 2026 report that a new study finds wildfire smoke is reversing a decade of improvements in smog/air quality, specifically mentioning the reversal of downward trends.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2023 United States Open Championship was the 123rd U.S. Open, the national open golf championship of the United States. It was a 72-hole stroke play played from June 15–18 on the North Course of L…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_U.S._Open_(golf)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 108th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, the knockout domestic cup competition of American soccer. The 2023 field featured 99 teams, including a modern-era record …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_U.S._Open_Cup
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Steel Corporation is a Japanese-owned American steel company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that maintains production facilities at several additional locations in the U.S. and C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Steel
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 5: “since then, as wildfires have grown, the nation's average ground level ozone — which is smog — increased by 4%”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this specific claim consists of irrelevant search results (alphabet letters and sports events). No corroborating or contradicting evidence was found in the provided set for the 4% increase.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2015 U.S. Open may refer to: 2015 U.S. Open (golf), a major golf tournament 2015 US Open (tennis), a grand slam tennis event 2015 U.S. Open Grand Prix Gold, badminton tournament 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_U.S._Open
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2015 United States Open Championship was the 115th U.S. Open, played June 18–21, 2015 at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington, southwest of Tacoma on the shore of Puget Sound. Jordan Spie…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_U.S._Open_(golf)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — U.S. Bancorp (stylized as us bancorp) is an American multinational banking institution headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and incorporated in Delaware. It is the 7th-largest bank in the United St…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Bancorp
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 6: “In 2023, the Biden administration delayed plans to tighten those standards”
VERIFIED
An AP report from September 6, 2023, explicitly confirms that the EPA is delaying plans to tighten air quality standards for ground-level ozone.
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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 6, 2023 ... WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is delaying plans to tighten air quality standards for ground-level ozone — better ...
https://apnews.com/article/epa-ozone-pollution-biden-smog-lu…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 3, 2025 ... "The Biden administration is holding firm on some critical air pollution protections while conceding delays on others, signaling a shift in ...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/290537574397934/posts/899449…
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web search NEUTRAL — On August 1, 2025, the EPA proposed a rule to rescind the 2009 endangerment finding and repeal all GHG emissions standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty ...
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/tracking-regulatory-chang…
info
Claim 7: “Thursday's study in the journal Science also estimated... an increase of 318 American deaths per year since 2013”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant results for 'Study.com' and general science definitions. No specific study in the journal Science mentioning 318 deaths was found in the evidence provided.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following scientific events occurred, or are scheduled to occur in 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_science
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Natural science or empirical science is a branch of science concerned with the description, understanding, and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experim…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_science
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — U.S. Agent (John Walker) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually those starring Captain America and the Avengers. Created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Agent
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 8: “The amount of land burned in 2023 in Canada was not only a record but two times higher than the old record”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 9: “The national smog level dropped by 11% from 2003 to 2015”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results explicitly state that national smog levels fell by approximately 11% from 2003 to 2015.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2003 United States Open Championship was the 103rd U.S. Open, held June 12–15 at the North Course of Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Illinois, a suburb south of Chicago. Jim Furyk w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_U.S._Open_(golf)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Andy Roddick defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final, 6–3, 7–6(7–2), 6–3 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 2003 US Open. It was his first and only major title. Roddick saved a match point…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_US_Open_–_Men's_singles
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2003 invasion of Iraq was the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion began on 20 March 2003 and lasted just over one month, including 26 days of major combat operations. The invasion was conduc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_invasion_of_Iraq
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 10: “the Trump administration changed regulations that consider deaths and health impacts in smog and soot rules”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim.
help
Claim 11: “The average amount of U.S. land that wildfires burn each year is now 9% higher than it was from 2003 to 2014, according to the National Interagency Fire Center”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim.
info
Claim 12: “the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a limited number of smog monitors. Those cover only 2% of the nation”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result mentions that a study compensated for the EPA's 'limited' number of monitors, but the specific '2%' figure is not corroborated by other independent sources in the provided evidence.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — These standards cover tailpipe pollution, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate emissions, and newer versions have incorporated fuel ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_vehicle_emission…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 5, 2026 ... The study was novel in the way it estimated the national smog level, compensating for how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a limited ...
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2026/jun/05/wildfires-re…
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web search NEUTRAL — CASTNET operates more than 80 regional sites throughout the contiguous United States, Alaska, and ... emissions in the area where maximum precursor emissions are.
https://www3.epa.gov/ttnamti1/files/ambient/pm25/qa/Final+Ha…
info
Claim 13: “In the U.S., 43 million people were exposed to smog levels that exceeded the current EPA safety standard”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence mentions 129.1 million people exposed to ozone (American Lung Association) and 152 million people in unhealthy areas, but does not corroborate the specific '43 million' figure.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, 38% of the population, some 129.1 million people, were exposed to levels of ozone that put their health at risk. That is ...
https://www.lung.org/research/sota/key-findings/ozone-pollut…
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web search NEUTRAL — The report found that 152 million people live in areas with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution, including 33.5 million children. The analysis ...
https://respiratory-therapy.com/public-health/healthcare-pol…
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web search NEUTRAL — fetuses, infants, and the elderly are most at risk for exposure to elevated levels of CO. ... Ozone is dependent on weather conditions, so concentrations are.
https://www.michigan.gov/egle/-/media/Project/Websites/egle/…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.