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Forest fires are associated with elevated mortality in a dense urban setting
Antonis Analitis1, Ioannis Georgiadis, Klea Katsouyanni
1Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, University of Athens, 75, Mikras Asias Street, 115 27 Athens, Greece. aanalit@med.uoa.gr
Occupational and Environmental Medicine
|August 19, 2011
Summary
Forest fires significantly increase daily mortality in Athens, particularly from cardiovascular and respiratory causes, with larger fires posing a greater public health risk. These immediate effects on non-accidental deaths highlight the severe health impacts of wildfires near populated areas.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Forest fires pose a significant threat to the greater Athens area due to its climate and vegetation.
- Previous studies on forest fire health effects primarily focused on morbidity outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the short-term effects of forest fires on non-accidental mortality in Athens, Greece.
- To analyze the impact of fire size on mortality rates.
Main Methods:
- Generalized additive models were employed to assess daily mortality.
- Models adjusted for time trends, meteorological variables, and air pollution.
- Forest fires were categorized by the area burnt.
Main Results:
- Medium-sized fires showed a 4.9% increase in total daily deaths, with significant rises in respiratory deaths (16.2%).
- A single large fire was associated with a 49.7% increase in total daily deaths, and substantial increases in cardiovascular (60.6%) and respiratory (92.0%) deaths.
- Observed mortality effects were not fully explained by increased ambient particle concentrations.
Conclusions:
- Forest fires have an immediate, non-accidental impact on mortality.
- The proximity of fires to densely populated areas exacerbates this public health problem.
- Wildfire smoke poses a significant, direct threat to human life.
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