Rosana Aguilera1, Thomas Corringham2, Alexander Gershunov2, Sydney Leibel3,4, Tarik Benmarhnia2,5. 1. Scripps Institution of Oceanography and r1aguilerabecker@ucsd.edu. 2. Scripps Institution of Oceanography and. 3. Departments of Allergy and Immunology and. 4. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, and. 5. Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Exposure to airborne fine particles with diameters ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) pollution is a well-established cause of respiratory diseases in children; whether wildfire-specific PM2.5 causes more damage, however, remains uncertain. We examine the associations between wildfire-specific PM2.5 and pediatric respiratory health during the period 2011-2017 in San Diego County, California, and compare these results with other sources of PM2.5. METHODS: Visits to emergency and urgent care facilities of Rady's Children Hospital network in San Diego County, California, by individuals (aged ≤19 years) with ≥1 of the following respiratory conditions: difficulty breathing, respiratory distress, wheezing, asthma, or cough were regressed on daily, community-level exposure to wildfire-specific PM2.5 and PM2.5 from ambient sources (eg, traffic emissions). RESULTS: A 10-unit increase in PM2.5 (from nonsmoke sources) was estimated to increase the number of admissions by 3.7% (95% confidence interval: 1.2% to 6.1%). In contrast, the effect of PM2.5 attributable to wildfire was estimated to be a 30.0% (95% confidence interval: 26.6% to 33.4%) increase in visits. CONCLUSIONS: Wildfire-specific PM2.5 was found to be ∼10 times more harmful on children's respiratory health than PM2.5 from other sources, particularly for children aged 0 to 5 years. Even relatively modest wildfires and associated PM2.5 resolved on our record produced major health impacts, particularly for younger children, in comparison with ambient PM2.5.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Exposure to airborne fine particles with diameters ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) pollution is a well-established cause of respiratory diseases in children; whether wildfire-specific PM2.5 causes more damage, however, remains uncertain. We examine the associations between wildfire-specific PM2.5 and pediatric respiratory health during the period 2011-2017 in San Diego County, California, and compare these results with other sources of PM2.5. METHODS: Visits to emergency and urgent care facilities of Rady's Children Hospital network in San Diego County, California, by individuals (aged ≤19 years) with ≥1 of the following respiratory conditions: difficulty breathing, respiratory distress, wheezing, asthma, or cough were regressed on daily, community-level exposure to wildfire-specific PM2.5 and PM2.5 from ambient sources (eg, traffic emissions). RESULTS: A 10-unit increase in PM2.5 (from nonsmoke sources) was estimated to increase the number of admissions by 3.7% (95% confidence interval: 1.2% to 6.1%). In contrast, the effect of PM2.5 attributable to wildfire was estimated to be a 30.0% (95% confidence interval: 26.6% to 33.4%) increase in visits. CONCLUSIONS: Wildfire-specific PM2.5 was found to be ∼10 times more harmful on children's respiratory health than PM2.5 from other sources, particularly for children aged 0 to 5 years. Even relatively modest wildfires and associated PM2.5 resolved on our record produced major health impacts, particularly for younger children, in comparison with ambient PM2.5.
Authors: Christine C Ghetu; Diana Rohlman; Brian W Smith; Richard P Scott; Kaley A Adams; Peter D Hoffman; Kim A Anderson Journal: Environ Sci Technol Date: 2022-07-08 Impact factor: 11.357
Authors: Sarah M Naughten; Rosana Aguilera; Alexander Gershunov; Tarik Benmarhnia; Sydney Leibel Journal: Front Pediatr Date: 2022-07-06 Impact factor: 3.569
Authors: Alexander Gershunov; Janin Guzman Morales; Benjamin Hatchett; Kristen Guirguis; Rosana Aguilera; Tamara Shulgina; John T Abatzoglou; Daniel Cayan; David Pierce; Park Williams; Ivory Small; Rachel Clemesha; Lara Schwarz; Tarik Benmarhnia; Alex Tardy Journal: Clim Dyn Date: 2021-05-31 Impact factor: 4.375