The spatial distribution of heat related hospitalizations and classification of the most dangerous heat events in California at a small-scale level.

Many studies have explored the impact of extreme heat on health, but few have investigated localized heat-health outcomes across a wide area. We examined fine-scale variability in vulnerable areas, considering population distribution, local weather, and landscape characteristics. Using 36 different heat event definitions, we identified the most dangerous types of heat events based on minimum, maximum, and diurnal temperatures with varying thresholds and durations.

Impacts of heat and wildfire on preterm birth.

Background: Climate change continues to increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of heat events and wildfires, both of which are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Few studies simultaneously evaluated exposures to these increasingly common exposures.

Objectives: We investigated the relationship between exposure to heat and wildfire smoke and preterm birth (PTB).

Adverse effects of temperature on perinatal and pregnancy outcomes: methodological challenges and knowledge gaps.

Evidence linking temperature with adverse perinatal and pregnancy outcomes is emerging. We searched for literature published until 30 January 2023 in PubMed, Web of Science, and reference lists of articles focusing on the outcomes that were most studied like preterm birth, low birth weight, stillbirth, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. A review of the literature reveals important gaps in knowledge and several methodological challenges.

The Burden of Wildfire Smoke on Respiratory Health in California at the Zip Code Level: Uncovering the Disproportionate Impacts of Differential Fine Particle Composition.

Wildfires constitute a growing source of extremely high levels of particulate matter that is less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5).

Climate change: Overview of risks to pregnant persons and their offspring.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges confronting humanity. Pregnant persons, their unborn children, and offspring are particularly vulnerable, as evidenced by adverse perinatal outcomes and increased rates of childhood illnesses. Environmental inequities compound the problem of maternal health inequities, and have given rise to the environmental justice movement.

Emergency department visits associated with wildfire smoke events in California, 2016-2019.

Wildfire smoke has been associated with adverse respiratory outcomes, but the impacts of wildfire on other health outcomes and sensitive subpopulations are not fully understood. We examined associations between smoke events and emergency department visits (EDVs) for respiratory, cardiovascular, diabetes, and mental health outcomes in California during the wildfire season June-December 2016-2019. Daily, zip code tabulation area-level wildfire-specific fine particulate matter (PM) concentrations were aggregated to air basins.

A novel ensemble-based statistical approach to estimate daily wildfire-specific PM in California (2006-2020).

Though fine particulate matter (PM) has decreased in the United States (U.S.) in the past two decades, the increasing frequency, duration, and severity of wildfires significantly (though episodically) impairs air quality in wildfire-prone regions and beyond.

Impacts of Fine Particulate Matter From Wildfire Smoke on Respiratory and Cardiovascular Health in California.

Increases in wildfire activity across the Western US pose a significant public health threat. While there is evidence that wildfire smoke is detrimental for respiratory health, the impacts on cardiovascular health remain unclear. This study evaluates the association between fine particulate matter (PM) from wildfire smoke and unscheduled cardiorespiratory hospital visits in California during the 2004-2009 wildfire seasons.

Examining fine particulate matter and cause-specific morbidity during the 2017 North San Francisco Bay wildfires.

Background: Recent increases in wildfire frequency and severity necessitate better understanding of health effects of wildfire smoke to protect affected populations.

Objectives: We examined relationships between fine particulate matter (PM) and morbidity during wildfires in California, and whether those relationships differed during the fire compared to a similar non-fire period.

Methods: For nine San Francisco Bay Area counties, daily county-level diagnosis-specific counts of emergency department visits (EDVs) and hospitalizations were linked with county-level estimates of daily mean PM during the October 2017 Northern California wildfires and similar October days in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Spatial variation in the joint effect of extreme heat events and ozone on respiratory hospitalizations in California.

Extreme heat and ozone are co-occurring exposures that independently and synergistically increase the risk of respiratory disease. To our knowledge, no joint warning systems consider both risks; understanding their interactive effect can warrant use of comprehensive warning systems to reduce their burden. We examined heterogeneity in joint effects (on the additive scale) between heat and ozone at small geographical scales.

Racial/ethnic disparities in the association between fine particles and respiratory hospital admissions in San Diego county, CA.

Ambient air pollution exposure is associated with exacerbating respiratory illnesses. Race/ethnicity (R/E) have been shown to influence an individual's vulnerability to environmental health risks such as fine particles (PM 2.5).

Association between coarse particulate matter and inflammatory and hemostatic markers in a cohort of midlife women.

Background: Exposure to particulate matter air pollution has been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality; however, most studies have focused on fine particulate matter (PM) exposure and CVD. Coarse particulate matter (PM) exposure has not been extensively studied, particularly for long-term exposure, and the biological mechanisms remain uncertain.

Methods: We examined the association between ambient concentrations of PM and inflammatory and hemostatic makers that have been linked to CVD.

A case-crossover study of short-term air pollution exposure and the risk of stillbirth in California, 1999-2009.

Background: Associations between ambient air pollution and stillbirth have recently been explored, but most studies have focused on long-term (trimester or gestational averages) rather than short-term (within one week) air pollution exposures.

Objective: To evaluate whether short-term exposures to criteria air pollutants are associated with increased risk of stillbirth.

Methods: Using air pollution and fetal death certificate data from 1999 to 2009, we assessed associations between acute prenatal air pollution exposure and stillbirth in California.

Examining the relationship between ambient carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and mental health-related emergency department visits in California, USA.

Growing evidence suggests air pollutants may harm the central nervous system, potentially impacting mental health. However, such impacts of air pollutants on mental health and the sub-populations most affected remain poorly understood, especially in California. We examined the relationship between short-term ambient carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO), and mental health-related emergency department (ED) visits in California from 2005 to 2013.

Association of Air Pollution and Heat Exposure With Preterm Birth, Low Birth Weight, and Stillbirth in the US: A Systematic Review.

Importance: Knowledge of whether serious adverse pregnancy outcomes are associated with increasingly widespread effects of climate change in the US would be crucial for the obstetrical medical community and for women and families across the country.

Objective: To investigate prenatal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ozone, and heat, and the association of these factors with preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth.

Temperature and hand, foot and mouth disease in California: An exploratory analysis of emergency department visits by season, 2005-2013.

Background: For the past decade, hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), caused by entero and coxsackie viruses, has been spreading in Asia, particularly among children, overloading healthcare settings and creating economic hardships for parents. Recent studies have found meteorological factors, such as temperature, are associated with HFMD in Asia. However, few studies have explored the relationship in the United States, although HFMD cases have steadily increased recently.

Extreme heat episodes and risk of preterm birth in California, 2005-2013.

Background: Preterm birth is a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality. Identifying potentially modifiable triggers toward the end of gestation, such as extreme heat, can improve understanding of the role of acute stress on early deliveries and inform warning systems. In this study we examined the association between extreme heat, variously defined during the last week of gestation, and risk of preterm birth among mothers in California.

Wearable Sensor System to Monitor Physical Activity and the Physiological Effects of Heat Exposure.

Mobile health monitoring via non-invasive wearable sensors is poised to advance telehealth for older adults and other vulnerable populations. Extreme heat and other environmental conditions raise serious health challenges that warrant monitoring of real-time physiological data as people go about their normal activities. Mobile systems could be beneficial for many communities, including elite athletes, military special forces, and at-home geriatric monitoring.

A Review of Coccidioidomycosis in California: Exploring the Intersection of Land Use, Population Movement, and Climate Change.

California has seen a surge in coccidioidomycosis (valley fever), a disease spread by the Coccidioides immitis fungus found in soil throughout the state, particularly in the San Joaquin Valley. We reviewed epidemiologic studies in which outbreak and sporadic cases of coccidioidomycosis were examined, and we considered the possible relationship of these cases to environmental conditions, particularly the state's increasing aridity, drought, and wildfire conditions. Most of the studies we reviewed pertained to cases occupationally acquired in construction, military, archeological, and correctional institutional settings where workers were exposed to dust in C.

Associations between ambient temperature and hepatobiliary and renal hospitalizations in California, 1999 to 2009.

Background: High ambient temperature has been linked to a number of types of morbidity, such as cardiovascular disease and dehydration. Fewer studies have explored specifically the relationship between ambient temperature and liver, kidney, and urinary system morbidity despite known biological impacts of extreme high temperatures on those systems.

Objective: We assessed the relationship between temperature and hospitalizations related to selected renal system (urinary stones, urinary tract infections, septicemia, chronic kidney disease, and a composite of selected kidney diseases) and hepatobiliary (biliary tract disease, other liver diseases [e.

A quantile regression approach to examine fine particles, term low birth weight, and racial/ethnic disparities.

Background: Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) during pregnancy has been shown to be associated with reduced birth weight and racial/ethnic minorities have been found to be more vulnerable. Previous studies have focused on the mean value of birth weight associated with PM, which may mask meaningful differences. We applied a quantile regression approach to investigate the variation by percentile of birth weight and compared non-Hispanic (NH) Black, NH White, and Hispanic mothers.