US EditionWildfire smoke linked to more ER visits for asthma, researchers urge preparedness
- Emergency department visits for asthma in Ontario rose sharply amid an initial period of exceptionally severe wildfire smoke in June 2023.
- This spike followed Ontario's worst wildfire season, fueled by large fires in Quebec causing severe air pollution over early June 2023.
- Researchers examined emergency department visit records spanning 95% of Ontario’s population and observed that daily asthma-related visits increased by 11% to 24% during the initial wildfire smoke event.
- Lead author Hong Chen described the 2023 wildfires as an urgent warning, while Sarah Henderson emphasized that wildfire smoke has become a common occurrence in Canada and highlighted the importance of establishing indoor air quality regulations to protect public health.
- After an initial surge in asthma-related visits during the first wildfire smoke event, patient numbers stabilized by the time a second smoke episode occurred, likely due to the use of preventive medications and enhanced protective actions such as remaining indoors and employing air cleaners.
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85 Articles
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Oak Bay News
Secretary Island fire leaves Sooke under smoky skies
Sooke residents may see smoke in the sky as a wildfire burns on Secretary Island
Wildfire smoke increases emergency room visits for asthma: study
A new study has found that emergency room visits for asthma increased during the first wave of wildfires in 2023, but returned to normal during a second wave a few weeks later. The researchers suggest that this first wave may have served as a wake-up call, prompting people to take protective measures against poor air […]
castanet.net
Wildfire smoke linked to more ER visits for asthma, researchers urge preparedness
A new study says visits to emergency departments for asthma spiked during a first wave of unprecedented wildfire smoke in 2023, but patient numbers returned to normal during a second wave weeks later.
Asthma-related emergency visits increase during wildfire smoke events in Ontario
New research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.241506 found an increase in asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits across Ontario following heavy smoke in early June 2023.
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