Long-term health effects of wildfire exposure: A scoping review
Wildfires pose a number of acute and chronic health threats, including increased morbidity and mortality. While much of the current literature has focused on the short-term health effects of forest fires and wildfire smoke, few reviews have sought to understand their long-term impact on human health...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-05-01
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| Series: | The Journal of Climate Change and Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278221001073 |
| _version_ | 1828428492466814976 |
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| author | Emily Grant Jennifer D. Runkle |
| author_facet | Emily Grant Jennifer D. Runkle |
| author_sort | Emily Grant |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Wildfires pose a number of acute and chronic health threats, including increased morbidity and mortality. While much of the current literature has focused on the short-term health effects of forest fires and wildfire smoke, few reviews have sought to understand their long-term impact on human health. This scoping review aims to map the state of evidence as it pertains to the long-term health effects of wildfires, including physical health, mental health, and healthcare costs. A literature search identified 17 research studies meeting inclusion and review criteria. Descriptive and thematic analyses were conducted and synthesized in a narrative form for the following health topics: premature mortality; increased morbidity including respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, mental health, and other health outcomes; and health-related economic outcomes or healthcare costs. The resulting evidence revealed limited papers, many of which were of low or mixed quality, that pointed to increased population-level mortality due to wildfire exposure and increased respiratory morbidity. While the results of lung cancer research were mixed, exposure to PM2.5 and chemicals in wildfire smoke were correlated with an increased risk of cancer of all types. Future research should include prospective longitudinal studies and collection of demographic information to assess the impacts of wildfires on the most vulnerable, expand the evidence-base for the mental health consequences of wildfire events, and include more research in low- and middle-income countries. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T17:18:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-32da53f6f457448f9beb5da8801c5e32 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2667-2782 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T17:18:39Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal of Climate Change and Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-32da53f6f457448f9beb5da8801c5e322022-12-22T01:40:03ZengElsevierThe Journal of Climate Change and Health2667-27822022-05-016100110Long-term health effects of wildfire exposure: A scoping reviewEmily Grant0Jennifer D. Runkle1Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, 412 E. Spokane Falls Blvd., Spokane 99202, WA, United States; Gilling's School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, 135 Dauer Drive, Chapel Hill 27599, United States; Corresponding author at: Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, 412 E. Spokane Falls Blvd., Spokane 99202, WA, United States.North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies, North Carolina State University, 151 Patton Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801, United StatesWildfires pose a number of acute and chronic health threats, including increased morbidity and mortality. While much of the current literature has focused on the short-term health effects of forest fires and wildfire smoke, few reviews have sought to understand their long-term impact on human health. This scoping review aims to map the state of evidence as it pertains to the long-term health effects of wildfires, including physical health, mental health, and healthcare costs. A literature search identified 17 research studies meeting inclusion and review criteria. Descriptive and thematic analyses were conducted and synthesized in a narrative form for the following health topics: premature mortality; increased morbidity including respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, mental health, and other health outcomes; and health-related economic outcomes or healthcare costs. The resulting evidence revealed limited papers, many of which were of low or mixed quality, that pointed to increased population-level mortality due to wildfire exposure and increased respiratory morbidity. While the results of lung cancer research were mixed, exposure to PM2.5 and chemicals in wildfire smoke were correlated with an increased risk of cancer of all types. Future research should include prospective longitudinal studies and collection of demographic information to assess the impacts of wildfires on the most vulnerable, expand the evidence-base for the mental health consequences of wildfire events, and include more research in low- and middle-income countries.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278221001073WildfireClimate changeSmoke exposureHuman health |
| spellingShingle | Emily Grant Jennifer D. Runkle Long-term health effects of wildfire exposure: A scoping review The Journal of Climate Change and Health Wildfire Climate change Smoke exposure Human health |
| title | Long-term health effects of wildfire exposure: A scoping review |
| title_full | Long-term health effects of wildfire exposure: A scoping review |
| title_fullStr | Long-term health effects of wildfire exposure: A scoping review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long-term health effects of wildfire exposure: A scoping review |
| title_short | Long-term health effects of wildfire exposure: A scoping review |
| title_sort | long term health effects of wildfire exposure a scoping review |
| topic | Wildfire Climate change Smoke exposure Human health |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278221001073 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT emilygrant longtermhealtheffectsofwildfireexposureascopingreview AT jenniferdrunkle longtermhealtheffectsofwildfireexposureascopingreview |