オーストラリア大火災：Courtney Partridge-McLennanは火災の煙による死者か

　先の11月に、どうも喘息asthma持ちの19歳の子がなくなってしまった。これは大火災の煙のせいじゃないかとご両親の訴え。

BBC Australia fires: Family blames teenager’s death on bushfire smoke 15 Jan 2020

「One night last November, Courtney Partridge-McLennan said goodnight to her family in Australia and went to sleep in her room.

At some point in following hours, the 19-year-old woman suffered a suspected asthma attack. When her parents checked on her the next morning, Courtney had died.」

「Her family believes that Courtney's death in Glen Innes, New South Wales, was triggered by smoke from nearby bushfires. Like many populated areas across Australia's east, the town has been shrouded by smoke in recent months.」

　大いにありえそうな話だが、いやしかし明確な影響関係は確言しづらいか…。
　…あと、そりゃまあそうもなるよなあれではなあ、とも。一応私も幼少時からの病弱では、まああるにはあるし…うん…ニュースで見る限りのあれでは、そりゃあ喘息持ちじゃあ、なんかのはずみで誰か死ぬよ、あれ…。

「Courtney was diagnosed with asthma as a child. It was not usually severe but tended to flare up around dust and air pollutants, according to her sister.」

「Cherylleigh said preliminary autopsy reports had listed the cause of death as "unconfirmed". But she added her parents had been told that Courtney had a "hyper-extension of the lungs" - one indicator of an asthma attack.」

　検死報告は未確定ながら、典型的な状況ではあるみたい。しかしなあ、国家的規模での大災害中であって、彼女の死はその中の象徴的なひとつとなる…という話になるのが落ち着きどころかなあ…などとも思う。