Wildfire smoke increases heart disease risk within hours, study finds

The British Columbia Center for Disease Control is educating British Columbians about the negative health effects of wildfire smoke, following new research that suggests air pollution can instantly increase the risk of some heart diseases. I am warning you again.

For every 10 micrograms of PM2.5 (the primary particles in smoke from wildfires in British Columbia) in 1 cubic meter of air, you’re 5.5% more likely to experience at least one of the four heart problems. The results of the study were published Monday. Found the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association.

All four arrhythmias studied are significant risk factors for heart attack and heart disease, building on decades of evidence showing higher rates of cancer, chronic disease and early mortality in areas with poor air quality. I back it up.

The findings limit short-term exposure to wildfire smoke, amid smoke-related increases in heart attacks and respiratory problems already observed by researchers and health care workers at BCDC. underscores the urgency of the matter, said one BCCDC expert.

Sarah Henderson, scientific director of the Environmental Health Service at BCCDC, said, “If you have wildfire smoke in your state, you’ll see an increase in those types of negative consequences within hours of the smoke arriving. You can see

A 2020 study co-authored by Henderson found that heart attacks, breathing problems, and heart wall weakening increased by about 1-2% within an hour of more PM2.5 exposure.

“It’s a small but significant number,” Henderson said.

Dr. Lori Adamson, an emergency physician in the Salmon Arm, British Columbia, about 111 kilometers north of Kelowna, said she’s seen first-hand the influx of patients struggling to breathe coming to the hospital on a smoky day. heart.

“My patients are very distressed by this situation and feel hopeless and hopeless…because it’s a really big problem and they feel like it’s out of their control.” said Adamson.

Adamson said the vast majority and most vulnerable people she admitted to hospitalization were infants and children whose lungs are more delicate and breathe faster than adults, as well as pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. People with disease, he adds. Exacerbated by smoke.

Need for “broader scale action”

The peer-reviewed study, based on data from nearly 200,000 patients in 322 cities in China between 2015 and 2021, found that coal burning was associated with more persistent air pollution, and BC also means different chemical ratios.

This finding is relevant to BC because particle size is more important than composition, Henderson said. PM2.5 is smaller than other molecules and can block more oxygen exchange and penetrate deeper than other molecules.

“We don’t know much about this at this point, but if you can protect yourself from these exposures in the short term, you can protect yourself in the long term,” Henderson said.

Henderson recommends using an air purifier with a HEPA filter to clean the air in your home, wearing proper N95 and KN95 masks if you spend time outdoors, and avoiding exercise and heavy breathing on smoky days. I am proposing.

People who have difficulty breathing, especially young children and the elderly, should seek medical attention. “We need to consider these individual-level interventions and actions to reduce exposure and impact within the population,” Henderson said.

For Adamson, a member of the Canadian Association of Environmental Physicians, governments at all levels need to do more to prepare for the health impacts of wildfires and move away from fossil fuel-based energy that is causing climate change and exacerbating wildfires. you have to do .

“We need action on a broader scale…so we’re not just thinking about how to deal with smoke in the face.”