A group of Western Australian scientists say there is a direct link between air pollution from wildfire smoke and an increase in emergency room admissions that can be up to 200 kilometers from the fire itself.
Key points:
- The study found that admissions increased by up to seven percent in the four days following exposure to a toxic smoke particle.
- Instances of submissions for certain conditions increased at much higher rates
- Lead study author says danger will increase as Australia grapples with effects of climate change
Researchers from the Department of Health and Curtin and Murdoch universities examined more than 1.5 million admissions to Perth emergency departments between 2015 and 2017.
Lead study author Adeleh Shirangi, a senior researcher at the Curtin School of Population Health, said the research looked specifically at the impact of small air pollutants known as PM2.5.
“These particles are so small that they can penetrate deeper into the lungs and into the bloodstream,” he told ABC Radio Perth’s Nadia Mitsopoulos on Friday.
“It’s very unsafe to inhale.”
According to the study, exposure to these air pollutants increased total emergency admissions by five to seven percent over a four-day period.
Ms Shirangi said the number of admissions for cardiovascular problems in particular rose to seven per cent.
The occurrence of a brief, stroke-like attack called a “transient ischemic attack” increased by 25%.
The percentage of people who went to emergency departments with acute lower respiratory tract infections increased by 19 percent within a day of exposure.
“People who are most at risk are people aged 60 and over, people of disadvantaged socioeconomic status and people with pre-existing heart and lung disease,” Shirangi said.
He said those affected were sometimes 100-200 km away from the fire.
Ms Shirangi said the long-term health effects of low-level exposures to toxic air particles were a concern because extreme conditions in Australia were becoming more common.
“We are experiencing more extreme heat events, an increase in severe fire danger days and a longer fire season than ever before,” he said.
“Where it is safe to do so, people should stay indoors.
“A proper face mask, such as the N95 mask known for use during COVID-19, should be worn outside or [by] those who are unavoidably exposed to wildfire smoke.”
The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.