Health Effects of Wildfires Reported in Emergency Medical Communication Centres: An Ecological Study in Gironde District, France, during the Summer of 2022
Language
EN
Document de travail - Pré-publication
English Abstract
Wildfires are a rising environmental threat which health impact remains poorly
documented, in particular beyond the fire period. This ecological study investigates changes in
health conditions before, during, and after ...Read more >
Wildfires are a rising environmental threat which health impact remains poorly
documented, in particular beyond the fire period. This ecological study investigates changes in
health conditions before, during, and after two consecutive wildfires that occurred in France´s
Gironde district in the summer 2022. Electronic records from the district´s emergency medical
communication centre were used to identify calls with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and
two specific subgroups of those, asthma (all ages and 0-5 years) and cardiac arrest, respectively.
Compared to before the fires, respiratory disease cases were fewer during each fire (OR = 0.85, 95%
CI: 0.79, 0.90 and OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.58, 0.67, respectively), cardiovascular disease cases, more
common during the second fire, and asthma cases, higher following the fires (ORall ages= 1.85, 95% CI:
1.56, 2.21 and ORchildren= 3.52, 95% CI: 2.62, 4.80). Asthma cases also rose during the same calendar
time in 2021, but to a lesser extent. In sum, except for asthma, emergency calls data in Gironde reveal
few significant potentially smoke-related symptoms around fire periods, apart from post-fire
asthma. Whether the effects are smoke- or season-related remains to be determined, preferably
using additional data sources.Read less <
English Keywords
wildfires
smoke
air pollution
climate change
asthma
respiratory diseases
emergency medical services