Impact of Short-Term Air Pollution on Respiratory Infections: A Time-Series Analysis of COVID-19 Cases in California during the 2020 Wildfire Season

Ademu, Lilian; Gao, Jingjing; Thompson, Onah P.; Ademu, Lawrence Anebi

doi:10.3390/ijerph19095057

Cited by 3 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Wildfire smoke and air pollution may play a role in the COVID-19 pandemic through other pathways. For instance, studies have found that wildfire smoke is not only a driver of disease severity, but can also increase incidence, test positivity rates and case rates [16][17][18]. A study in Reno found that a 10 µg m −3 increase in the seven-day average PM 2.5 concentration increases SARS-CoV-2 test positivity rate by 6.3% [50].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As wildfire smoke and COVID-19 affect the same biological systems and organs, wildfire-specific particulate matter has been hypothesized and shown to increase the risk of severe infection due to its widespread effect on the respiratory and cardiovascular system [9]. There is strong evidence of the adverse health effects of wildfire smoke [10][11][12] and emerging evidence of its effects on COVID-19 transmission and severity [5,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. However, the majority of epidemiological studies on wildfire smoke have been conducted in the US, Canada, and Australia, with little evidence from other contexts [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The potential impact of wildfire smoke on COVID-19 cumulative deaths in the San Diego-Tijuana border region

Schwarz

Aguilera

Quiñones³

et al. 2023

Environ. Res.: Health

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2020 broke records for the most active fire year on the West Coast, resulting in the worst air quality observed in decades. Concurrently, the public health threat of COVID-19 caused over 1 million deaths in the United States (US) and Mexico in 2020 and 2021. Due to the effect of air pollution on respiratory diseases, wildfire-specific particulate matter is a hypothesized driver of COVID-19 severity and death. Capitalizing on wildfire smoke that hit the San Diego-Tijuana border region in September 2020, we applied synthetic control methods to explore its differential role in affecting COVID-19 mortality on both sides of the border. Daily data on COVID-19 cumulative deaths for US Counties was obtained from the CDC COVID tracker and data for Mexican Municipalities was obtained from the Mexican Secretary of Health. Counties and Municipalities with wildfire smoke exposure were identified using the NOAA hazard mapping Smoke Product; a day where 90% of the area covered by smoke was considered exposed for the main analyses. Unexposed Counties/Municipalities were considered as potential controls. The San Diego-Tijuana border region was covered by dense smoke by September 7th; 707 COVID-19 deaths had occurred in San Diego and 1367 in Tijuana. While a slight increase in cumulative mortality was observed in San Diego, no change was found in Tijuana; neither estimate indicated a strong precise effect of wildfire smoke on COVID-19 mortality. We hope this study will serve as an illustration of how border contexts can be used to investigate differential vulnerability to wildfire smoke for infectious diseases. Examining the interactive effect of COVID-19 and smoke can help in recognizing the implications of these dual health risks which will be increasingly important as wildfires become more frequent and severe in the context of climate change.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The potential impact of wildfire smoke on COVID-19 cumulative deaths in the San Diego-Tijuana border region

Schwarz

Aguilera

Quiñones³

et al. 2023

Environ. Res.: Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Results for NO 2 are less clear-cut. Ademu et al found a significant negative relationship between NO 2 and COVID-19 cases in most models [50]; Sannigrahi et al found a positive significant relationship between NO 2 and COVID-19 cases, albeit weaker and less consistent across time periods than PM [46]. Finally, Meo et al found that ozone also exhibited a positive, significant association with COVID-19 infections [45].…”

Section: Covid-19 Infectionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Finally, Meo et al found that ozone also exhibited a positive, significant association with COVID-19 infections [45]. Lag-time effects between exposure and COVID-19 infection effects following exposure were reported by four studies and included 2-6 d [33]; and the following one [32,50], two [50], three [50], and four weeks [43].…”

Section: Covid-19 Infectionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Sannigrahi et al found significant effects of PM 10 on COVID-19 infection [46] while Cortes-Ramirez et al did not [38]; however, Cortes-Ramirez et al suggest their use of a spatial interpolation model to estimate PM 10 exposure may have been insufficiently accurate. Ademu et al found that a 1 µg m −3 increase in CO was associated with 36% more daily COVID-19 cases [50]; Meo et al also identified this significant positive correlation in an initial cross-sectional study [44] and in a longitudinal study later in the pandemic [45]. Results for NO 2 are less clear-cut.…”

Section: Covid-19 Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematized literature review of converging health crises

Clark

Sheehan

2023

Environ. Res.: Health

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The emergence and global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 converged with wildfire seasons of unprecedented extent. These co-occurring crises brought the potential for amplified health impacts. A systematized literature review was conducted to identify the health impacts from co-exposure to wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. A search of PubMed and Scopus identified 373 distinct references which were screened according to predetermined criteria. A total of 22 peer-reviewed publications were included in the final analysis. Studies were located in Australia and the western United States, with a single study in the Amazonian region of Brazil. The studies identified focused primarily on the impact of wildfire smoke exposure on COVID-19 infection and mortality, and the impact of exposure to both crises on mental health. The collective evidence shows that wildfire exposure within the context of the pandemic exacerbated COVID-19 infection and mortality as well as various adverse mental health effects. Additional research is needed in more diverse contexts and with individual-level data. Findings highlight the need for public health preparedness to anticipate overlapping, related crises and to advance climate change mitigation to protect public health.

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Data Linkages for Wildfire Exposures and Human Health Studies: A Scoping Review

Barkoski,

Van Fleet,

Liu

et al. 2024

GeoHealth

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Wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity, with significant consequences that impact human health. A scoping review was conducted to: (a) understand wildfire‐related health effects, (b) identify and describe environmental exposure and health outcome data sources used to research the impacts of wildfire exposures on health, and (c) identify gaps and opportunities to leverage exposure and health data to advance research. A literature search was conducted in PubMed and a sample of 83 articles met inclusion criteria. A majority of studies focused on respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes. Hospital administrative data was the most common health data source, followed by government data sources and health surveys. Wildfire smoke, specifically fine particulate matter (PM2.5), was the most common exposure measure and was predominantly estimated from monitoring networks and satellite data. Health data were not available in real‐time, and they lacked spatial and temporal coverage to study health outcomes with longer latency periods. Exposure data were often available in real‐time and provided better temporal and spatial coverage but did not capture the complex mixture of hazardous wildfire smoke pollutants nor exposures associated with non‐air pathways such as soil, household dust, food, and water. This scoping review of the specific health and exposure data sources used to underpin these studies provides a framework for the research community to understand: (a) the use and value of various environmental and health data sources, and (b) the opportunities for improving data collection, integration, and accessibility to help inform our understanding of wildfires and other environmental exposures.

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Impact of Short-Term Air Pollution on Respiratory Infections: A Time-Series Analysis of COVID-19 Cases in California during the 2020 Wildfire Season

Cited by 3 publications

References 52 publications

The potential impact of wildfire smoke on COVID-19 cumulative deaths in the San Diego-Tijuana border region

The potential impact of wildfire smoke on COVID-19 cumulative deaths in the San Diego-Tijuana border region

Wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematized literature review of converging health crises

Data Linkages for Wildfire Exposures and Human Health Studies: A Scoping Review

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