Health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure in New Mexico during 2022 and sensitivity to exposure estimate and referent period
Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: In 2022, New Mexico experienced a number of wildfires, including the state’s largest, Calf Canyon/Hermit’s Peak. This study aimed to evaluate how different exposure assessment methods impacted associations between wildfire smoke and health outcomes. We investigated associations with exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke and cardiorespiratory-related emergency department (ED) visits in New Mexico during 2022. Our study compared a range of exposure methods: 1) PM2.5 from the EPA regulatory-grade monitors, 2) PM2.5 from both the EPA regulatory-grade monitors and low-cost PurpleAir observations, 3) modeled 24-hour average wildfire smoke PM2.5 from the Community Multiscale Air Quality Modeling System (CMAQ), and 4) CMAQ daily 1-hour maximum wildfire smoke PM2.5. We found significant associations with all-respiratory related ED visits, pneumonia, and heart failure; however, the magnitude and significance of associations varied across the four smoke-exposure products. CMAQ output was less suitable for this epidemiological study due to wide confidence intervals for odds ratios, while the product that leveraged both regulatory and PurpleAir measurements provided more precise exposure estimates, highlighting the importance of low-cost sensors in rural regions. Our findings emphasize the need to critically assess the inputs used in epidemiological studies for accurate and meaningful results.
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Award: G8156387250
OpenAlex ID: W4410414047