Influence of fire characteristics on the associations between smoke PM2.5 exposure and acute cardiorespiratory health events.

BACKGROUND

Wildland fire smoke is a significant source of PM2.5 pollution in the western United States, with varying chemical composition and toxicity depending on fire characteristics.

METHODS

We analyzed emergency department and urgent care visits in the Reno/Sparks, Nevada region during fire seasons (July-September) from 2012 to 2019. Wildland fire smoke PM2.5 concentrations were determined using a novel approach that combined EPA monitor data, atmospheric dispersion modeling, fire emissions inventories, and Bayesian time-series modeling to estimate daily fire-specific smoke PM2.5 concentrations. Distributed lag models were used to estimate associations between total smoke PM2.5 concentrations, as well as smoke PM2.5 concentrations classified by fire intensity and fuel type, and daily counts of 11 cardiorespiratory visit outcome groups.

RESULTS

We observed positive lag-specific associations between total smoke PM2.5 concentrations (per 10 µg/m3 increase) and visits for asthma exacerbation (Lag 0 RR: 1.040; 95 %CI: 1.006, 1.075), cardiovascular disease (Lag 3 RR: 1.015; 95 % CI: 0.999, 1.032), and cardiac dysrhythmia (Lag 3 RR: 1.029; 95 % CI:1.012, 1.047). Elevated cumulative associations were also observed between total smoke PM2.5 and asthma exacerbation (Lag 0-4 RR: 1.066; 95 % CI: 1.005, 1.131), unspecified respiratory disorder (Lag 0-6 RR: 1.046; 95 % CI 0.993, 1.103), and dysrhythmia (Lag 0-5 RR: 1.072; 95 % CI: 1.018, 1.129). Visits for asthma exacerbation and unspecified respiratory disorder were more strongly associated with smoke from high intensity fires, whereas visits for dysrhythmia were more associated with smoke from low intensity fires. By fuel type, forest fire smoke was most strongly associated with increased asthma exacerbation, and visits for dysrhythmia were most strongly associated with smoke from shrub/scrub fires.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides novel evidence that wildland fire intensity and fuel type may influence the relationship between smoke exposure and specific health outcomes, with implications for public health messaging and land management strategies.