Wildfires pose a significant and growing threat to human health. Current trends in climate change predict that wildfire occurrence and severity will increase in the near future, and therefore the adverse health effects associated with wildfire and its air quality effects are becoming increasingly relevant. Even with current efforts to stem future rises in temperature, wildfire activity will continue to increase due to lags in the climate system itself. Thus, in addition to the known increase in mortality, respiratory, and cardiovascular risks, there is a growing need to investigate other health outcomes associated with wildfire smoke exposure, especially their effect on pregnancy and birth outcomes.
In order to provide a broad overview of the state of wildfire research on the topic of pregnancy and birth outcomes, this narrative review will summarize the existing literature on pregnancy and birth outcomes associated with wildfire smoke exposure, with consideration for the ambient air pollution literature that informs wildfire research. As research in this specific topic is still developing, a pattern of limitations to study designs is beginning to emerge, which will guide future research needs. Finally, practical considerations for implementing research findings into land management and public health policies that reduce wildfire exposure in order to mitigate the health risks associated with it will be explained.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/45592 |
| Date | 07 February 2023 |
| Creators | Liang, Dawn |
| Contributors | Stowell, Jennifer, Kinney, Patrick |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ |
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