Fine Particles in Wildfire Smoke and Pediatric Respiratory Health in California

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Exposure to airborne fine particles with diameters <= 2.5 mu m (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 similar to 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.

Automated summary

The study found that wildfire-specific PM2.5 is more harmful to children's respiratory health compared to PM2.5 from other sources, especially for children aged 0 to 5 years. Even relatively modest wildfires can have significant health impacts, particularly for younger children.