{"id":43500,"date":"2018-11-23T17:52:54","date_gmt":"2018-11-23T16:52:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?p=43500"},"modified":"2018-12-04T11:10:51","modified_gmt":"2018-12-04T10:10:51","slug":"california-wildfires-i-am-simultaneously-worried-about-my-own-health-my-patients-and-my-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/23\/california-wildfires-i-am-simultaneously-worried-about-my-own-health-my-patients-and-my-children\/","title":{"rendered":"California wildfires: I am simultaneously worried about my own health, my patients, and my children"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"standfirst\">The urgency to find systemic solutions to tackle the root causes of poor air quality is clear<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I am convinced clinic room three is smokier than clinic room two. Although I have an N95 respirator mask in my bag, I don\u2019t wear it because it feels a bit hypocritical to try to protect myself if I cannot give a mask to the patient sitting in front of me. So I just hold my breath when I go into clinic room three. This is the first time I have ever felt simultaneously worried about my own health, the health of my patients, and the safety of my children\u2014whose school has just closed because the air outside is too dangerous to breathe.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This was the experience of one of the authors (EL), but illustrates what many healthcare professionals across California have been dealing with these past few weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wildfires continue to devastate California this week, leaving over 80 people dead, 1,000 missing, and thousands displaced. [<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1]<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Millions more are affected by the smoke blowing southeast from the worst fire in California\u2019s history, as Northern California becomes the most polluted region in the world. [<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1]<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Air pollution is defined as the presence of a substance in the air that can cause harmful effects, and is measured by the Air Quality Index (AQI). An AQI of 0-50 is considered healthy air, while 151-200 is unhealthy for all. Ranges above 200 are considered very unhealthy, and above 300 hazardous. [<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2]<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The AQI reached as high as 271 in San Francisco on Friday\u2014the worst air quality ever recorded in the city (Figure 1). [<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3]<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Air pollution, including pollution due to wildfire smoke, has both immediate and long-term impacts on health. The immediate symptoms include wheezing, coughing, eye irritation, asthma exacerbation, and severe respiratory distress. [<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4]<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Children, older adults and those with preexisting respiratory disease are particularly at risk. [<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5]<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Air pollution also contributes to heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute respiratory infections among children. [<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6]<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In addition, wildfires can have a significant impact on mortality. For example, smoke from the 2017 fires in Chile caused 76 premature deaths, and approximately 340,000 deaths each year are estimated to be due to landscape fire smoke. This increase in mortality can be significant even from short-term exposure. Indeed, a systematic review and meta-analysis of 108 studies examining short-term exposure (i.e. a few days) to high levels of air pollution found strong evidence of increased mortality and hospitalization among the elderly (0.64%, 95%CI 0.50-0.78) and a higher risk of death per 10 \u03bcg\/m3 increase of particulate matter. In addition, this systematic review found evidence which suggested that women and those with lower socioeconomic status may be at higher risk of death following short-term exposure to air pollution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our community\u2019s reaction to the polluted air has been mixed. Many Bay Area residents scrambled to find indoor air purifiers and N-95 respirator masks\u2014both of which sold out from Amazon and local stores within one day. Many families with the means to travel left the area altogether, driving to the mountains or flying out of state. As doctors and health professionals we were prepared for the expected rise in emergency room visits, especially among the elderly, yet we have been largely unprepared to give advice or support to those patients who don\u2019t have the luxury to leave or avoid being outdoors. [<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">7]<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cAt least we don\u2019t live in Beijing\u201d one friend said. Another commented that \u201cthe air is always like this in India\u201d. These statements point out our striking privilege as Californians\u2014our air quality is expected to improve in a matter of days, and stay healthy in the long term. This is not true for the vast majority of people around the world. \u00a0According to the World Health Organization, 91% of the world\u2019s population live in areas with unhealthy air, and an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths occur each year due to outdoor air pollution. [<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">8]<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Low- and middle- income countries are significantly more affected, and air quality disparities within and between countries continues to grow. [<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">9,10]<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0Over the past week air quality have reached levels that many Bay Area residents have found unbearable, but these levels are a daily reality for many other communities. Inequalities persist even within the United States, where air pollution varies significantly by race and socioeconomic status (SES), with people of color and those at lower SES exposed to the highest levels of particulate matter. [<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">11]<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As climate change leaves communities around the world increasingly vulnerable to drought, fire, and resulting air quality emergencies, doctors and health professionals cannot afford to simply treat patients suffering from acute exposures or recommend masks and air filters. The urgency to find systemic solutions to tackle the root causes of poor air quality is clear. Doctors and other health professionals can lend their voices and credibility to broader environmental movements, including tackling short-lived climate pollutants which simultaneously contribute to poor air quality and climate change.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The good news is that California has already been a leader on climate policy, and maybe, the silver lining to the terrible tragedy of the 2018 fires is that empathy will grow among the public to demand stronger measures to protect our air not only here, but across the globe. [<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">12]<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> For those doctors, nurses, and health professionals who for the first time have needed to balance the health of their patients, their families, and themselves, let\u2019s join the fight for a healthier environment for all. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/air_pollution_graph_us.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-43505\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/air_pollution_graph_us.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"698\" height=\"499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/air_pollution_graph_us.jpg 698w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/air_pollution_graph_us-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/air_pollution_graph_us-640x458.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/lily_morrison.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-43507\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/lily_morrison.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/lily_morrison.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/lily_morrison-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Lily Morrison<\/strong> has a masters in public health, and currently works as a research data analyst at the University of California, San Francisco<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b><i><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/amy_chen.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-43501\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/amy_chen.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/amy_chen.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/amy_chen-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\" \/><\/a>Amy Chen<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, graduated from Harvard Medical School and is currently a 2nd year dermatology resident at University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/natalia_linou.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-43502\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/natalia_linou.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/natalia_linou.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/natalia_linou-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\" \/><\/a>Natalia Linou<\/strong> has worked in international development and global health for over a decade and currently leads the environment and health portfolio at the United Nations Development Programme, New York.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/eleni_linos-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-43504\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/eleni_linos-1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/eleni_linos-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/11\/eleni_linos-1.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>Eleni Linos<\/strong> is Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Dermatology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). She serves as the Director of the Program for Clinical Research and the Director of Diversity for the Department of Dermatology at UCSF<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Competing interests<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: None declared<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><strong>Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">California wildfires: Nearly 1,000 unaccounted for in Camp Fire. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">CBS News.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> November 19, 2018.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">AirNow. Air Quality Index (AQI) Basics. 2016; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/airnow.gov\/index.cfm?action=aqibasics.aqi\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/airnow.gov\/index.cfm?action=aqibasics.aqi<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Accessed November 16, 2018.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dineen J, Wu G. Northern California air quality rated the worst in the world, conditions \u2018hazardous\u2019. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Francisco Chronicle.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> November 16, 2018.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Liu JC, Pereira G, Uhl SA, Bravo MA, Bell ML. A systematic review of the physical health impacts from non-occupational exposure to wildfire smoke. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Environmental Research. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2015;136:120-132.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Youssouf H, Liousse C, Roblou L, et al. Non-accidental health impacts of wildfire smoke. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Int J Environ Res Public Health.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">11(11):772-804.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kelly FJ, Fussell JC. Air pollution and public health: emerging hazards and improved understanding of risk. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Environmental geochemistry and health. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2015;37(4):631-649.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wettstein ZS, Hoshiko S, Fahimi J, Harrison RJ, Cascio WE, Rappold AG. Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Emergency Department Visits Associated With Wildfire Smoke Exposure in California in 2015. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Journal of the American Heart Association. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2018;7(8):e007492.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">WHO. Air Pollution. 2018; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/airpollution\/en\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.who.int\/airpollution\/en\/<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">WHO. WHO Global Urban Ambient Air Pollution Database (update 2016). 2018; <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.who.int\/phe\/health_topics\/outdoorair\/databases\/cities\/en\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">http:\/\/www.who.int\/phe\/health_topics\/outdoorair\/databases\/cities\/en\/<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Landrigan PJ, Fuller R, Acosta NJR, et al. The Lancet Commission on pollution and health. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Lancet. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2018;391(10119):462-512.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bell ML, Ebisu K. Environmental inequality in exposures to airborne particulate matter components in the United States. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Environmental Health Perspectives. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2012;120(12):1699-1704.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">WHO. BreatheLife: A global campaign for clean air. 2018; <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/breathelife2030.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">http:\/\/breathelife2030.org\/<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The urgency to find systemic solutions to tackle the root causes of poor air quality is clear [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/11\/23\/california-wildfires-i-am-simultaneously-worried-about-my-own-health-my-patients-and-my-children\/\">More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1357],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-health-care"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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