Effects of Bushfire Smoke on Daily Mortality and Hospital Admissions in Sydney, Australia

• DOI: 10.1097/ede.0b013e3181c15d5a
• Publication Date: 2009-12-09T08:31:00Z
• Authors: Geoffrey Morgan; Vicky Sheppeard; Behnoosh Khalaj; Aarthi Ayyar; Doug Lincoln; Bin Jalaludin; John Beard; Stephen Corbett; Thomas Lumley
• Keywords: Aerodynamic diameter

Little research has investigated the health effects of particulate exposure from bushfires (also called wildfires, biomass fires, or vegetation fires), and these exposures are likely to increase, for several reasons. We associations daily mortality hospital admissions with bushfire-derived particulates, compared particulates urban sources in Sydney, Australia 1994 through 2002.On days highest matter (PM)10 concentrations, we assumed PM10 was due primarily bushfires. calculated contribution bushfire on by subtracting background concentration estimated surrounding days. remaining usual sources. implemented a Poisson model, bootstrap-based methodology, select optimum smoothed covariate functions, PM10, lagged up 3 days.We identified 32 extreme concentrations vegetation-reduction burns. Although consistently associated respiratory admissions, found no consistent cardiovascular mortality. A 10 microg/m increase 1.24% (95% confidence interval = 0.22% 2.27%) all disease (at lag 0), 3.80% (1.40% 6.26%) chronic obstructive pulmonary 2), 5.02% (1.77% 8.37%) adult asthma 0). Urban all-cause mortality, as well admission, were not influenced concentrations.PM10 is morbidity, while cardiorespiratory morbidity.