Aftermath of the 2017 Wildfires: WHAT-now-CA* Study Results on Needs, Respiratory Health, and Mental Health (Hertz-Picciotto, 11/3/2020)

Great thanks to Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto and graduate student in public health, Diego Rivera, from UC Davis' Environmental Health Sciences Core Center for their update this week on the WHAT-now-CA* Study, Aftermath of the 2017 Wildfires. 

Their research team is following a cohort of people who lived through the Northern California fires of 2017 (including Tubbs, Nuns, Atlas, and Redwood Valley fires). They are studying both the short and long-term health impacts of these fires. The study features data from several counties, but the bulk of participants in their cohort are from Sonoma County.

Diego Rivera presented data on physical and mental health needs in 2018 and 2019, and Dr. Hertz-Picciotto presented health impact data, including respiratory and mental health, from year 1 (2018). 

(By Phoenix7777 - Own workData source: VIIRS-AF Active Fire Detections for CONUS - 10/07/2017 through 10/14/2017 0200 MDT)

For many of us who lived through the 2017 fires and the ensuing years of smoke, fire and more evacuations, the study findings are not terribly surprising: greatest reported needs in year 1 (2018) included: clean air, clean up, insurance help, finding housing, and help with refurnishing homes

• greatest reported needs in year 2 (2019) included: mental health, improved health, clean air
• people with underlying pulmonary issues experienced increased respiratory symptoms after fire and smoke exposure; some with no underlying lung disease also had respiratory symptoms
• mental health needs increased after the first year's needs (e.g. housing, clean up, insurance issues) were addressed.

Mental Health Impacts of Fire 

There is a paucity of literature on the impact of wildfires on mental health, but a few studies that have been reported recently from fires in Canada and Australia have found high rates of PTSD in the early months following a fire event, as well as high rates of generalized anxiety and depression.

In the WHAT-now-CA study, adults and children are asked to report rates of agitated behavior, anxiety and stress, depressed moods, difficulty concentrating, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping/nightmares, as well as substance use (including alcohol, smoking, vaping). 

Dr. Hertz-Picciotto's team found high rates of all of the above symptoms in fire survivors, extra high rates of anxiety and stress and trouble sleeping/nightmares in children. They also have found a very strong correspondence between an adult in the home having mental health symptoms and children having these symptoms. Mental health symptoms were more frequent in children ages 12-17 than younger children, also more frequent for those who have experienced multiple evacuations, and those whose home was destroyed. 

I look forward to seeing ongoing data collection from Dr. Hertz-Picciotto--  perhaps if we can have concrete data demonstrating the long-term physical and mental health impacts of these fires on our community, we can actually help to do something about them. . . and eventually heal.

Be safe all, the rains are close.

(*Wildfires and Health-Assessing the Toll in Northern California)