Wildfires and Higher Rates of Asthma, Bronchitis and Heart Disease

Over the past 10 years, many parts of the USA have experience significant wildfires which have devastated large areas and produced large amounts of smoke. Worldwide, huge amounts of smoke have been produced by the deliberate burning of tropical and temperate rain forests.  Forest fires produce large amounts of air pollutants including particulates (PM), carbon monoxide, cyanide and many highly carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic compounds.

A number of studies have reported that smoke from forest fires can cause adverse health effects in people living tens or even hundreds of miles away from the fires.  A recent analysis of the 2003 California wildfires reported that during burning periods air pollution levels were very high even in areas many miles from fires.  Levels of particulates smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) were often increased to 3 to 6 times the US EPA limits.  During wildfire burning periods, rates of childhood asthma hospital admissions and rates of adult hospital admissions for asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and cardiovascular disease were all significantly increased.

Better forest management is needed to prevent large forest fires.  People with respiratory or heart conditions may need to temporarily move away from regions which are experiencing large forest fires.  Home air filters can also reduce exposure to air pollution from nearby forest fires.

-    Robert Delfino et al.  The relationship of respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions to the southern California wildfires of 2003.  Occupational and Environmental Medicine  March 2009:66:189-197.