Respiratory Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke during Summer of 2018 in the Jämtland Härjedalen Region, Sweden

Andreas Tornevi, Camilla Andersson, Ana Cristina Carvalho, Joakim Langner, Nikolai Stenfors and Bertil Forsberg
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Andreas Tornevi: Section of Sustainable Health, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, SE90187 Umeå, Sweden
Camilla Andersson: Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), Folkborgsvägen 17, SE60176 Norrköping, Sweden
Ana Cristina Carvalho: Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), Folkborgsvägen 17, SE60176 Norrköping, Sweden
Joakim Langner: Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), Folkborgsvägen 17, SE60176 Norrköping, Sweden
Nikolai Stenfors: Section of Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, SE90187 Umeå, Sweden
Bertil Forsberg: Section of Sustainable Health, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, SE90187 Umeå, Sweden

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-14

Abstract: During the summer of 2018 Sweden experienced a high occurrence of wildfires, most intense in the low-densely populated Jämtland Härjedalen region. The aim of this study was to investigate any short-term respiratory health effects due to deteriorated air quality generated by the smoke from wildfires. For each municipality in the region Jämtland Härjedalen, daily population-weighted concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) were calculated through the application of the MATCH chemistry transport model. Modelled levels of PM 2.5 were obtained for two summer periods (2017, 2018). Potential health effects of wildfire related levels of PM 2.5 were examined by studying daily health care contacts concerning respiratory problems in each municipality in a quasi-Poisson regression model, adjusting for long-term trends, weekday patterns and weather conditions. In the municipality most exposed to wildfire smoke, having 9 days with daily maximum 1-h mean of PM 2.5 > 20 ?g/m 3 , smoke days resulted in a significant increase in daily asthma visits the same and two following days (relative risk (RR) = 2.64, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28–5.47). Meta-estimates for all eight municipalities revealed statistically significant increase in asthma visits (RR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.09–2.57) and also when grouping all disorders of the lower airways (RR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.01–1.92).

Keywords: wildfires; forest smoke; PM 2.5; chemistry transport model; health care visits; respiratory health; asthma (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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