Respiratory and atopic conditions in children two to four years after the 2014 Hazelwood coalmine fire

Gabriela A. Willis*, Kate Chappell, Stephanie Williams, Shannon M. Melody, Amanda Wheeler, Marita Dalton, Shyamali C. Dharmage, Graeme R. Zosky, Fay H. Johnston

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    18 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Objective: To evaluate associations between exposure during early life to mine fire smoke and parent-reported indicators of respiratory and atopic illness 2–4 years later. Design, setting: The Hazelwood coalmine fire exposed a regional Australian community to markedly increased air pollution during February – March 2014. During June 2016 – October 2018 we conducted a prospective cohort study of children from the Latrobe Valley. Participants: Seventy-nine children exposed to smoke in utero, 81 exposed during early childhood (0–2 years of age), and 129 children conceived after the fire (ie, unexposed). Exposure: Individualised mean daily and peak 24-hour fire-attributable fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure during the fire period, based on modelled air quality and time-activity data. Main outcome measures: Parent-reported symptoms, medications use, and contacts with medical professionals, collected in monthly online diaries for 29 months, 2–4 years after the fire. Results: In the in utero exposure analysis (2678 monthly diaries for 160 children exposed in utero or unexposed), each 10 μg/m3 increase in mean daily PM2.5 exposure was associated with increased reports of runny nose/cough (relative risk [RR], 1.09; 95% CI, 1.02–1.17), wheeze (RR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.18–2.07), seeking health professional advice (RR, 1.17; 95% CI 1.06–1.29), and doctor diagnoses of upper respiratory tract infections, cold or flu (RR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.14–1.60). Associations with peak 24-hour PM2.5 exposure were similar. In the early childhood exposure analysis (3290 diaries for 210 children exposed during early childhood, or unexposed), each 100 μg/m3 increase in peak 24-hour PM2.5 exposure was associated with increased use of asthma inhalers (RR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.01–1.58). Conclusions: Exposure to mine fire smoke in utero was associated with increased reports by parents of respiratory infections and wheeze in their children 2–4 years later.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)269-275
    Number of pages7
    JournalMedical Journal of Australia
    Volume213
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2020

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