PHOENIX — A new study suggests an increase in wildfires in the West is ruining our air quality and is linked to an increase in death and health problems.
The study said the uptick in wildfires and their intensity has unraveled about 20 years of gains to clear our air. It was published in December, in the Lancet Planetary Health, and focused on the Western United States.
The study aimed to estimate trends in black carbon fine particle concentrations in our air and how it harms our health and also led to an increase in death. The study found black carbon concentrations rose 55% on a yearly basis, mostly due to wildfires.
The fires caused an increase of 670 premature deaths per year in the western United States from 2000 to 2020. The study reported no major declines in these numbers in the eastern United States during that same period.
Dr. Christian Jivcu, a critical care physician with Honor Health, said the Valley has not been as affected by the wildfires in California and he has not seen a persistent trend.
However, there are times of the year when it’s dustier outside or there is poor air quality, and he does see an increase in patients in the hospital. Jivcu said proving causation between an increase in wildfire smoke and deaths is an intricate and difficult task.
“I’m skeptical when any studies try to prove causation," Jivcu said. "Yes, these two areas correlate. For instance, if you look at the study, the year 2020, they include that in the study. That was in the middle of COVID. It’s very hard to extrapolate which respiratory deaths are from fires when most of us were indoors. It’s really hard to prove causation in those cases.”
Jivcu said precautions taken when wildfires are burning nearby depend on fire intensity and proximity to the fire. People who are closer to the blaze need to be more careful, whether they have lung disease or not.
The farther away from a fire, people without lung disease can usually continue normal activities. But Arizonans in sensitive groups need to take the necessary precautions to protect their health, like staying indoors.
Jivcu said the study doesn’t affect how he treats patients or advises them. But for public health advisors, he said it’s important from a national standpoint to continue measuring the pollutants in the air.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) tracks air quality across the state.
Brad Busby, an ADEQ manager, said it's rare for the Valley to see impacts exceeding federal health levels for particulates on a 24-hour basis.
What is more common, he said, are ozone impacts from the gaseous pollutants released from wildfire combustion. That impacts our already challenging ozone in the summer.
Busby said they see varying amounts of wildfires and wildfire smoke in Arizona. And as we’ve experienced in recent years, the fire smoke can come from all over the West, even as far south as Mexico as north as Canada.
“On a year-to-year basis, it’s really hard to say whether smoke or wildfires are getting worse or better in Arizona," Busby said. "It’s driven by a lot of variables including where the fires are, what the fuels are, what the season was, the rainy season beforehand, whether that created additional ground fuels to burn during wildfires and spread wildfires and maybe we’re moving to drought periods after those rainy periods. Over the last 20 years or so, I’d say it’s been a mixed bag as to whether we’ve had good wildfire years or bad wildfire years as far as smoke in Arizona goes.”
Busby said his team uses various tools to track wildfires and smoke, from satellite imagery to air quality monitoring for particulate matter and ozone. On poor ozone days, he said, ADEQ puts out alerts to stay indoors, run air conditioning with a filtration system and limit strenuous activities when air quality is affected.
More ways to get 12News
On your phone: Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.
On your streaming device: Download 12News+ to your streaming device
The free 12News+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like "Today in AZ" and "12 News" and our daily lifestyle program, "Arizona Midday"—on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
12News+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona.
Up to Speed
Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today.