Exposure to lingering fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke can have health effects up to three months afterwards, well beyond the couple of days that previous studies have identified. The exposure can occur even after the fires have ended.
These findings were reported in a new study in Epidemiology published by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Yaguang Wei, PhD, Assistant Professor of Environmental Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is first author. Dr. Wei is also a Department Associate in the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The research team found that medium-term exposure to PM2.5 from wildfire smoke was associated with increased risks for various cardiorespiratory conditions, including ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, arrhythmia, hypertension, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma.