A new Harvard-led study links exposure to wildfire smoke to increased mental health emergencies, revealing significant impacts on women, youth, racial minorities and Medicaid enrollees.
Exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke is associated with a surge in emergency department visits for mental health conditions, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
“Wildfire smoke isn’t just a respiratory issue — it affects mental health, too,” corresponding author Kari Nadeau, the John Rock Professor of Climate and Population Studies and chair of the Department of Environmental Health, said in a news release. “Our study suggests that — in addition to the trauma a wildfire can induce — smoke itself may play a direct role in worsening mental health conditions like depression, anxiety and mood disorders.”
Published in the April 4 edition of JAMA Network Open, the study is one of the first to explore the specific impact of wildfire-related PM2.5 on mental health.
Traditionally, most research has centered on respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes of wildfires. This study provides new insight by isolating the effect of wildfire-specific fine particulate matter on mental health emergencies.
By analyzing data from California’s devastating 2020 wildfire season, the researchers tracked daily levels of wildfire-specific PM2.5 and correlated them with emergency department visits for conditions such as substance use disorders, psychotic disorders and mood disorders, including depression and anxiety.
The data covered the period from July to December 2020, a notorious chapter in California’s wildfire history.
During the study period, researchers recorded 86,588 mental health-related emergency department visits. Average daily wildfire PM2.5 levels stood at 6.95 micrograms per cubic meter, skyrocketing to 24.9 micrograms per cubic meter during the peak in September.
A key finding revealed that a 10 micrograms per cubic meter increase in wildfire PM2.5 corresponded to a marked rise in mental health emergency visits. Affected groups included women, children, young adults, Black and Hispanic communities, and Medicaid enrollees.
“The disparities in impact by race, sex, age and insurance status suggest that existing health inequities may be worsened by wildfire smoke exposure,” added lead author YounSoo Jung, a research associate in the Department of Environmental Health. “We need to make sure everyone has access to mental health care during wildfire seasons, particularly the most vulnerable groups and particularly as wildfires become more frequent and severe as a result of climate change.”