Wildland fire smoke and human health

Abstract

The natural cycle of landscape fire maintains the ecological health of the land, yet adverse health effects associated with exposure to emissions from wildfire produce public health and clinical challenges. Systematic reviews conclude that a positive association exists between exposure to wildfire smoke or wildfire particulate matter (PM) and all-cause mortality and respiratory morbidity. Respiratory morbidity includes asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis and pneumonia. The epidemiological data linking wildfire smoke exposure to cardiovascular mortality and morbidity is mixed, and inconclusive. More studies are needed to define the risk for common and costly clinical cardiovascular outcomes. Susceptible populations include people with respiratory and possibly cardiovascular diseases, middle-aged and older adults, children, pregnant women and the fetus. The increasing frequency of large wildland fires, the expansion of the wildland-urban interface, the area between unoccupied land and human development; and an increasing and aging U.S. population are increasing the number of people at-risk from wildfire smoke, thus highlighting the necessity for broadening stakeholder cooperation to address the health effects of wildfire. While much is known, many questions remain and require further population-based, clinical and occupational health research. Health effects measured over much wider geographical areas and for longer periods time will better define the risk for adverse health outcomes, identify the sensitive populations and assess the influence of social factors on the relationship between exposure and health outcomes. Improving exposure models and access to large clinical databases foreshadow improved risk analysis facilitating more effective risk management. Fuel and smoke management remains an important component for protecting population health. Improved smoke forecasting and translation of environmental health science into communication of actionable information for use by public health officials, healthcare professionals and the public is needed to motivate behaviors that lower exposure and protect public health, particularly among those at high risk.

Satellite‐Based Daily PM2.5 Estimates During Fire Seasons in Colorado

“…C. Liu et al, 2017; Wegesser et al, 2010; Wong et al, 2011), because wildfire PM 2.5 predominantly comes from burning trees and underbrush, resulting in higher organic aerosols than those in urban air pollutions (Alves et al, 2011; Na & Cocker, 2008). Moreover, urban PM 2.5 tends to generate chronic, low-level exposures, whereas wildfire smoke is often related to acute, high concentration exposures (Cascio, 2018). Therefore, epidemiologic studies assessing the specific health impacts of wildfire PM 2.5 are important to better understand its public health and environmental risks.…”

Did Fine Particulate Matter from the Summer 2016 Landscape Fires in Tasmania Increase Emergency Ambulance Dispatches? A Case Crossover Analysis

“…Fire smoke is a mixture of hundreds of different aerosols and gases. In the context of open burning, PM can be considered as a marker of this mixture and it is recognized as the primary driver of adverse health impacts from fire smoke [1,8].…”

“…The previous studies in the setting of landscape fire smoke exposure have shown an increase in acute respiratory conditions [4,5], cardiac arrest [6], cardiovascular mortality [1], non-traumatic emergency department attendances [7] and all-cause mortality [1,8,9], with the elderly and people with pre-existing health conditions being most at risk [5].…”

Smoke Sense Initiative Leverages Citizen Science to Address the Growing Wildfire‐Related Public Health Problem

“…Even healthy individuals experience respiratory, ear-nose-throat symptoms, difficulty sleeping, viral infections, and other subclinical or precursor events that reduce productivity and can result in delayed but serious health outcomes (Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Particulate Matter, 2009;Krewski et al, 2005). Reducing the amount, duration, and intensity of smoke exposure by using an air filter and limiting outdoor activities is widely recommended as a health preventive action (Cascio, 2018;Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Health Officials, 2016). To achieve better public health outcomes, we need to apply what we know about health risks and protective health behavior effectively.…”