Environmental Studies and Forestry

Wildfire smoke impacts respiratory health more than fine particles from other sources: observational evidence from Southern California

R. Aguilera, T. Corringham, et al.

Wildfires are becoming more frequent and damaging, releasing hazardous PM2.5 particles that significantly impact respiratory health. This pivotal study by Rosana Aguilera, Thomas Corringham, Alexander Gershunov, and Tarik Benmarhnia reveals that PM2.5 from wildfires leads to higher rates of respiratory hospitalizations compared to PM2.5 from other sources. This research underscores the critical need for tailored air quality policies.

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Abstract

Wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity, releasing fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that harms human health. This study investigated whether wildfire PM2.5 is more harmful than PM2.5 from other sources. Using various statistical approaches, researchers found that increases in respiratory hospitalizations were significantly higher with wildfire-specific PM2.5 compared to non-wildfire PM2.5, suggesting a need for air quality policies that account for source-specific PM2.5 toxicity.

Publisher

Nature Communications

Published On

Mar 05, 2021

Authors

Rosana Aguilera, Thomas Corringham, Alexander Gershunov, Tarik Benmarhnia

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