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Health Effects of the 2003 Southern California Wildfires on Children

Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles; Sonoma Technology, Inc., Petaluma, California; and ICREA and Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica, Barcelona, Spain

Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Nino Künzli, M.D., Ph.D., ICREA Research Professor, Institut Municipal de Investigacio Medica, IMIM, C. Doct. Aiguader 80, 08003 Barcelona, Spain. E-mail: kuenzli{at}imim.es

Rationale: In late October 2003, Southern California wildfires burned more than 3,000 km². The wildfires produced heavy smoke that affected several communities participating in the University of Southern California Children's Health Study (CHS).

Objectives: To study the acute effects of fire smoke on the health of CHS participants.

Methods: A questionnaire was used to assess smoke exposure and occurrence of symptoms among CHS high-school students (n = 873; age, 17–18 yr) and elementary-school children (n = 5,551; age, 6–7 yr), in a total of 16 communities. Estimates of particulate matter (PM₁₀) concentrations during the 5 d with the highest fire activity were used to characterize community smoke level.

Main Results: All symptoms (nose, eyes, and throat irritations; cough; bronchitis; cold; wheezing; asthma attacks), medication usage, and physician visits were associated with individually reported exposure differences within communities. Risks increased monotonically with the number of reported smoky days. For most outcomes, reporting rates between communities were also associated with the fire-related PM₁₀ levels. Associations tended to be strongest among those without asthma. Individuals with asthma were more likely to take preventive action, such as wearing masks or staying indoors during the fire.

Conclusions: Exposure to wildfire smoke was associated with increased eye and respiratory symptoms, medication use, and physician visits.

Key Words: air pollution • asthma • sore throat • wheezing

AT A GLANCE COMMENTARY Scientific Knowledge on the Subject Adverse effects of fire smoke are known, but results in children are inconsistent due to a lack of large population-based studies. What This Study Adds to the Field The study quantifies effects of fire smoke on eye, upper, and lower respiratory symptoms. It gives first evidence of benefits of preventive actions.

 

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