Risk of respiratory and cardiovascular hospitalisation with exposure to bushfire particulates: new evidence from Darwin, Australia

Crabbe, Helen

doi:10.1007/s10653-012-9489-4

Cited by 35 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Other air pollutants from wildfires were less studied and their impact on cardiovascular illness remains unclear. Study findings varied geographically, with no report of a statistically significant cardiovascular impact of wildfire smoke in any study from Australia and Canada (seven out of 14) (Crabbe 2012; Hanigan et al , 2008; Henderson et al , 2011; Johnston et al , 2007; Martin et al , 2013; Moore et al , 2006; Morgan et al , 2010). Contrastingly, five out of six U.S. studies reported that exposure to wildfire smoke was associated with hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases, such as cardiac arrests, or symptoms such as chest pain (Delfino et al , 2009; Lee et al , 2009; Rappold et al , 2012; Rappold et al , 2011).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…A U.S. study found that a 100µg/m 3 increase in wildfire smoke-related PM 2.5 was associated with a significant 42% (95%CI: 5%–93%) increase in emergency room visits for congestive heart failure (CHF) (Rappold et al , 2012). However, there were too few studies on specific cardiovascular endpoints, such as ischemic heart disease ( e.g ., Azevedo et al , 2011; Crabbe 2012; Moore et al , 2006) to establish consistency of associations.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A systematic review of the physical health impacts from non-occupational exposure to wildfire smoke

Liu

Pereira

Uhl

et al. 2015

Environmental Research

468

449

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Background Climate change is likely to increase threat of wildfires, and little is known about how wildfires affect health in exposed communities. A better understanding of the impacts of the resulting air pollution has important public health implications for the present day and the future. Method We performed a systematic search to identify peer-reviewed scientific studies published since 1986 regarding impacts of wildfire smoke on health in exposed communities. We reviewed and synthesized the state of science of this issue including methods to estimate exposure, and identified limitations in current research. Results We identified 61 epidemiological studies linking wildfire and human health in communities. The U.S. and Australia were the most frequently studied countries (18 studies on the U.S., 15 on Australia). Geographic scales ranged from a single small city (population about 55,000) to the entire globe. Most studies focused on areas close to fire events. Exposure was most commonly assessed with stationary air pollutant monitors (35 of 61 studies). Other methods included using satellite remote sensing and measurements from air samples collected during fires. Most studies compared risk of health outcomes between 1) periods with no fire events and periods during or after fire events, or 2) regions affected by wildfire smoke and unaffected regions. Daily pollution levels during or after wildfire in most studies exceeded U.S. EPA regulations. Levels of PM10, the most frequently studied pollutant, were 1.2 to 10 times higher due to wildfire smoke compared to non-fire periods and/or locations. Respiratory disease was the most frequently studied health condition, and had the most consistent results. Over 90% of these 45 studies reported that wildfire smoke was significantly associated with risk of respiratory morbidity. Conclusion Exposure measurement is a key challenge in current literature on wildfire and human health. A limitation is the difficulty of estimating pollution specific to wildfires. New methods are needed to separate air pollution levels of wildfires from those from ambient sources, such as transportation. The majority of studies found that wildfire smoke was associated with increased risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Children, the elderly and those with underlying chronic diseases appear to be susceptible. More studies on mortality and cardiovascular morbidity are needed. Further exploration with new methods could help ascertain the public health impacts of wildfires under climate change and guide mitigation policies.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic review of the physical health impacts from non-occupational exposure to wildfire smoke

Liu

Pereira

Uhl

et al. 2015

Environmental Research

468

449

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“…Using the incidence of daily counts of hospital admissions for respiratory and cardiovascular diagnoses Crabbe et al [64] calculated the risk of hospitalization from wildfire exposure with respect to PM 10 , in Darwin, Australia. The results suggest that respiratory admissions were associated with exposure to PM 10 with a lag of 1 day when adjusted for flu and other confounders (RR = 1.025, 95 % CI: 1.000–1.051, p < 0.05).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-Accidental Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke

Youssouf

Liousse

Roblou

et al. 2014

IJERPH

107

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Wildfires take a heavy toll on human health worldwide. Climate change may increase the risk of wildfire frequency. Therefore, in view of adapted preventive actions, there is an urgent need to further understand the health effects and public awareness of wildfires. We conducted a systematic review of non-accidental health impacts of wildfire and incorporated lessons learned from recent experiences. Based on the literature, various studies have established the relationship between one of the major components of wildfire, particulate matter (particles with diameter less than 10 µm (PM10) and less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5)) and cardiorespiratory symptoms in terms of Emergency Rooms visits and hospital admissions. Associations between wildfire emissions and various subclinical effects have also been established. However, few relationships between wildfire emissions and mortality have been observed. Certain segments of the population may be particularly vulnerable to smoke-related health risks. Among them, people with pre-existing cardiopulmonary conditions, the elderly, smokers and, for professional reasons, firefighters. Potential action mechanisms have been highlighted. Overall, more research is needed to better understand health impact of wildfire exposure.

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“…PM is the predominant air pollutant seen in wildfire smoke, which is caused particularly by the burning of vegetation and wood. The health effects associated with particulate air pollution are well documented, and they are mostly related to the respiratory and cardiovascular functions (Analitis et al 2012;Anderson et al 2012;Betha et al 2014;Crabbe 2012;Delfino et al 2009;Johnston et al 2002;Pavagadhi et al 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research of wildfire effects was mainly focused on adult mortality and morbidity endpoints (Analitis et al 2012;Caamano-Isorna et al 2011;Crabbe 2012;Delfino et al 2009;Elliott et al 2013;Emmanuel 2000;Hanigan et al 2008;Johnston et al 2007;Vora et al 2011). However, to date, there is still limited research on the impact of wildfire smoke on vulnerable population groups, such as children (Jalaludin et al 2000;Künzli et al 2006;Mirabelli et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health effects of the 2012 Valencia (Spain) wildfires on children in a cohort study

Vicedo‐Cabrera

Íñiguez

Estarlich

et al. 2015

Environ Geochem Health

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In July 2012, two simultaneous wildfires burnt a big area in Valencia (Spain), where a birth cohort study (INMA) is being developed. The heavy smoke covered the whole INMA study area for several days. We aimed at evaluating the 2012 Valencia wildfire effects on the health of children enrolled in the INMA-Valencia cohort. Two weeks after the extinction of the wildfires, a phone survey was conducted and finally 460 individuals were enrolled. We considered a wildfire period (12-day interval when they were active) and a control period (12-day interval just before wildfires). Parents were asked about respiratory symptoms experienced during both periods, and during wildfires only about the preventive measures adopted and the perception of exposure, along with individual data collected through the different follow-up surveys of the cohort. Conditional logistic regression models were applied, and we included interaction terms for asthma/rhinitis and level of perception of exposure; 82.4 % perceived smoke smell outdoors, 40 % indoors and more than 90 % of the families observed the presence of ash. An adjusted odds ratio of 3.11 [95 % confidence interval 1.62-5.97] for itchy/watery eyes and 3.02 [1.41-6.44] for sore throat was obtained. Significant interaction terms for rhinitis and asthma in itchy/watery eyes and sneezing, and only asthma for sore throat were obtained. Exposure to wildfire smoke was associated with increased respiratory symptoms in this child population, particularly affecting susceptible individuals with asthma or rhinitis.

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Risk of respiratory and cardiovascular hospitalisation with exposure to bushfire particulates: new evidence from Darwin, Australia

Cited by 35 publications

References 14 publications

A systematic review of the physical health impacts from non-occupational exposure to wildfire smoke

A systematic review of the physical health impacts from non-occupational exposure to wildfire smoke

Non-Accidental Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke

Health effects of the 2012 Valencia (Spain) wildfires on children in a cohort study

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