Québec Wildfires and Respiratory Emergency Department Visits in Charlottesville, Virginia.

IF 2.3 3区环境科学与生态学 Q3 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Ecohealth Pub Date : 2026-09-01 Epub Date: 2026-03-18 DOI:10.1007/s10393-026-01783-9

Luis M Sanabria Segura, Wendy M Novicoff, Kyle B Enfield, Sara Kakatkar, Robert E Davis

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The decline in air quality from wildfires is known to have detrimental health impacts locally, but less is known about the effects far from the source. To address this gap, we analyzed visits to the University of Virginia Emergency Department from 2017 to 2023 by examining the impact of elevated PM_2.5 levels on respiratory visits. For this analysis, high exposure days were defined as those with PM_2.5 levels 2 or more standard deviations above the 2017-2023 average, specifically during the summer of 2023 when the Québec wildfires plume was advected over central Virginia. The results showed higher odds ratios on high PM_2.5 days compared to dates with normal exposure (1.190 [1.026,1.380]). This result was observed in males (1.388, [1.122,1.716]) and in white individuals (1.220 [1.009, 1.475]). Additionally, a comparison of mean ED visit departures (detrended and deseasoned) revealed that same day respiratory visits were significantly elevated on high exposure days (mean departure difference = + 1.886, p = 0.027). These findings indicate that wildfires can have measurable health impacts in areas far from their origin.

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在弗吉尼亚州夏洛茨维尔的野火和呼吸急诊科访问。

众所周知，野火造成的空气质量下降对当地的健康有不利影响，但对远离源头的影响知之甚少。为了解决这一差距，我们通过检查PM2.5水平升高对呼吸道就诊的影响，分析了2017年至2023年弗吉尼亚大学急诊科的就诊情况。在这项分析中，高暴露日被定义为PM2.5水平比2017-2023年的平均值高出2个或更多标准差的日子，特别是在2023年夏天，当quamezbec野火羽流平流到弗吉尼亚州中部时。结果显示，PM2.5高暴露日的比值比高于正常暴露日（1.190[1.026,1.380]）。该结果在雄性（1.388,[1.122,1.716]）和白色个体（1.220[1.009,1.475]）中观察到。此外，比较平均ED就诊次数（无趋势和无疾病）显示，高暴露日当天呼吸系统就诊次数显著增加（平均出发差= + 1.886,p = 0.027）。这些发现表明，野火可以在远离其发源地的地区产生可测量的健康影响。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Ecohealth 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

4.50

自引率

4.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>24 weeks

期刊介绍： EcoHealth aims to advance research, practice, and knowledge integration at the interface of ecology and health by publishing high quality research and review articles that address and profile new ideas, developments, and programs. The journal’s scope encompasses research that integrates concepts and theory from many fields of scholarship (including ecological, social and health sciences, and the humanities) and draws upon multiple types of knowledge, including those of relevance to practice and policy. Papers address integrated ecology and health challenges arising in public health, human and veterinary medicine, conservation and ecosystem management, rural and urban development and planning, and other fields that address the social-ecological context of health. The journal is a central platform for fulfilling the mission of the EcoHealth Alliance to strive for sustainable health of people, domestic animals, wildlife, and ecosystems by promoting discovery, understanding, and transdisciplinarity. The journal invites substantial contributions in the following areas: One Health and Conservation Medicine o Integrated research on health of humans, wildlife, livestock and ecosystems o Research and policy in ecology, public health, and agricultural sustainability o Emerging infectious diseases affecting people, wildlife, domestic animals, and plants o Research and practice linking human and animal health and/or social-ecological systems o Anthropogenic environmental change and drivers of disease emergence in humans, wildlife, livestock and ecosystems o Health of humans and animals in relation to terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems Ecosystem Approaches to Health o Systems thinking and social-ecological systems in relation to health o Transdiiplinary approaches to health, ecosystems and society.