Current:Home > MySmoke from Canadian wildfires sent more asthma sufferers to the emergency room-LoTradeCoin
Smoke from Canadian wildfires sent more asthma sufferers to the emergency room
View Date:2024-12-23 19:44:19
NEW YORK — The smoke from Canadian wildfires that drifted into the U.S. led to a spike in people with asthma visiting emergency rooms — particularly in the New York area.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published two studies Thursday about the health impacts of the smoke, which shrouded city skylines with an orange haze in late spring. A medical journal also released a study this week.
When air quality worsens, "an asthmatic feels it before anyone else," said Dr. Adrian Pristas, a pulmonologist based in Hazlet, New Jersey, who remembered a flood of calls from patients in June during the days of the heaviest smoke.
People with asthma often wheeze, are breathless, have chest tightness and have either nighttime or early-morning coughing.
"I have no doubt that every asthmatic had an uptick in symptoms," Pristas said. "Some were able to manage it on their own, but some had to call for help."
Each of the studies looked at different geographic areas — one was national, one was specific to New York state and the last focused on New York City.
Nationally, asthma-associated ER visits were 17% higher than normal during 19 days of wildfire smoke that occurred between late April and early August, according to one CDC study that drew data from about 4,000 U.S. hospitals.
Hospital traffic rose more dramatically in some parts of the country during wildfire smoke: 46% higher in New York and New Jersey.
A second study released by the CDC focused on New York state only, not New York City, because the state and city have separate hospital data bases, one of the authors said.
It found asthma-associated ER visits jumped 82% statewide on the worst air quality day, June 7. The study also said that the central part of New York state saw the highest increases in ER visits — more than twice as high.
The third study, published by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Medicine, focused solely on New York City. It found more than a 50% increase in asthma-associated ER visits on June 7, said the study's lead author, George Thurston of New York University.
None of the studies looked at other measures of health, such as increases in heart attacks or deaths.
Wildfire smoke has tiny particles, called PM2.5, that can embed deep in the lungs and cause severe problems for asthmatics. But problematic as the wildfire smoke was, an analysis showed it had lower amounts of some toxic elements found in urban air pollution, Thurston said.
The third study also attempted to compare the surge in ER visits during the wildfire smoke with what happens at the height of a bad pollen season — and the wildfires led to about 10% more ER visits.
"That's reassuring. It may not have been as bad as it looked," Thurston said.
Jeffrey Acquaviva, a 52-year-old asthmatic in Holmdel, New Jersey, found that conclusion hard to swallow.
"Yeah, right," said Acquaviva, who works at family-owned construction business.
As the smoke got worse in June and the air in his backyard grew thick and "golden," Acquaviva changed the filters on his air conditioners and stayed indoors for 2 1/2 days.
His symptoms still got worse — his breathing dangerously difficult — and finally he was taken by ambulance to a hospital and stayed there three days.
Pristas, Acquaviva's doctor, recalled how invasive the smoke was: "There was nowhere to hide."
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Tony Todd, star of 'Candyman,' 'Final Destination,' dies at 69
- Longtime Blazers broadcaster Brian Wheeler dies at 62
- Teddi Mellencamp's Estranged Husband Edwin Arroyave Responds to Divorce
- Bill Self matches Phog Allen for most wins at Kansas as No. 1 Jayhawks take down No. 10 UNC
- NASCAR Championship race live updates, how to watch: Cup title on the line at Phoenix
- Andrea Bocelli on working with Russell Crowe, meeting the Kardashians and new concert film
- More than 500K space heaters sold on Amazon, TikTok recalled after 7 fires, injury
- 'My husband was dying right in front of me': Groom suffers brain injury in honeymoon fall
- Kalen DeBoer, Jalen Milroe save Alabama football season, as LSU's Brian Kelly goes splat
- Historic winter storm buries New Mexico, Colorado in snow. Warmer temps ahead
Ranking
- Satire publication The Onion buys Alex Jones’ Infowars at auction with help from Sandy Hook families
- Mississippi Senate paid Black attorney less than white ones, US Justice Department says
- Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs seeks bail, citing changed circumstances and new evidence
- NASA says Starliner astronauts Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore 'in good health' on ISS
- Jordan Chiles Reveals She Still Has Bronze Medal in Emotional Update After 2024 Olympics Controversy
- Alabama high school football player died from a heart condition, autopsy finds
- Winnipeg Jets improve to 14-1, setting record for best NHL start
- Women win majority of seats in New Mexico Legislature in showcase of determination and joy
Recommendation
-
Old Navy's Early Black Friday Deals Start at $1.97 -- Get Holiday-Ready Sweaters, Skirts, Puffers & More
-
The Daily Money: Who pays for Trump's tariffs?
-
National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day 2024 is Saturday: Check out these deals and freebies
-
LGBTQ+ hotlines experience influx in crisis calls amid 2024 presidential election
-
DWTS’ Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten Have the Best Reaction to Fans Hoping for a Romance
-
Phoenix Suns' Kevin Durant out at least two weeks with left calf strain
-
Georgia vs Ole Miss live updates: How to watch game, predictions, odds, Top 25 schedule
-
Gender identity question, ethnicity option among new additions being added to US Census