Health Concerns and Fires

ANNIE PATEL – After the excitement leading into the new year, attention soon shifted to the alarming spread of the Australian bushfires. These fires led to global concern over the damage to ecosystems and the destruction of a significant portion of the wildlife. In addition to these direct effects of the fires that negatively impacted biodiversity, it also raised concern for the harmful public health effects it caused due to the condition of the air.

The constant fires produced smoke that lowered the air quality and posed a danger to people who breathed it in by causing diseases or long-term conditions. These concerns regarding the air condition due to the bushfires were not solely limited to Australia. NASA images from satellites tracked the spread of the smoke, which began in Australia and traveled across the Pacific Oceans towards South America. It is further reported that the smoke will circle the world and eventually cricle back to Australia.

The Australian government’s Department of Health issued warnings and advice on how to avoid inhaling the harmful particles from these fires by using masks and air purifiers. Additionally, they listed various health effects that the bushfire smoke causes, which ranges from irritation from short-lived exposure to potential illnesses, such as heart and lung diseases, from continued exposure. The elderly, children, and those with underlying heart and lung conditions are the most susceptible to these particles because of their weakened immune systems. This allows the particles to have facilitated access into the bloodstream, ultimately posing a greater negative impact on their health.

The long-term effects from the fine particles produced from the fires have not been explored. These long-term effects are specifically concerning because of the intake of particles such as PM10and PM2.5. These two fine particles are commonly emitted from fires and enter the atmosphere. Through people breathing in the air, they get into human lungs. It is recommended to reduce exposure to these particles in order to prevent them from entering the bloodstream and causing irritation, but long-term effects resulting from these symptoms have not been explored. Currently, there is research taking place to determine these effects; however, those research studies should be taking more precedence by increasing their funding.

The air pollution produced from these fires will further contribute to the effects of global climate change. With climate change being the cause of these fires, potential wildfires may become more common. As a result, governments should invest more funds in research that determines the prolonged health effects from exposure to the air pollution that results from the harmful particles produced from the fires.

Copy Editor: Aditi Madhusudan

Photography Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/australia-s-most-populous-state-declares-wildfire-state-e mergency-n1104831