Wildfires Affect Brain Health and Mental Health

Wildfires Affect Brain Health and Mental Health 

Wildfires are a huge global health concern. Particulate matter and ozone in wildfire smoke are deadly. A global study found that around 1·5 million deaths per year were associated with air pollution from landscape fires.

Climate change and land mismanagement alter environmental conditions in ways that make wildfires more frequent, intense, and destructive. Rising temperatures, drier conditions, and more unstable weather events are all contributors. Exceptionally large wildfires also drive climate change, releasing huge amounts of greenhouse gases, which in turn amplifies the frequency and intensity of future wildfires.

As climate change intensifies and the risk of wildfires escalates, increased control and ecologically sound management of wildfires and fire-prone landscapes are essential to protect people from harm.

The study found an increasing number of cardiovascular deaths associated with pollution, with around 450 000 deaths per year, as well as 200 000 deaths attributable to respiratory disease. There is also emerging evidence of other adverse outcomes after exposure to wildfire smoke including worsened diabetes control, kidney disease, and neurological conditions. As well as the direct physical and psychological harms of the event itself, the mental health toll from displacement, loss of livelihood, and disruption of daily life is substantial and long-lasting.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2825%2900136-9/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_etoc_email