Differences in Long Term Exposure to Wildfire Smoke Among People Who Are Incarcerated Compared to People Who Are Not Incarcerated in California, 2015–2020
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Wildfire smoke exposure is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes. People who are incarcerated may be especially vulnerable to smoke exposure because, compared to non‐incarcerated people, they lack agency to control their exposure. The goal of this study, within California, is to (a) geographically characterize wildfire‐attributable PM 2.5 exposure from 2015 to 2020 and (b) to determine whether the burden of wildfire PM 2.5 exposure is higher in neighborhoods that contain carceral facilities compared to neighborhoods without carceral facilities. Data on wildfire‐attributable PM 2.5 was linked to census‐tract level counts of incarcerated and non‐incarcerated populations. Statewide statistics on wildfire‐attributable PM 2.5 were calculated for five exposure metrics: (a) number of weeks with wildfire PM 2.5 > 5 μg/m 3 , (b) number of days with non‐zero wildfire PM 2.5 , (c) mean daily wildfire PM 2.5 during the peak exposure week, (d) number of smoke waves (defined as ≥2 consecutive days with >15 μg/m 3 wildfire PM 2.5 ), and (e) average of the annual mean wildfire PM 2.5 concentrations. To spatially compare wildfire PM 2.5 exposure among incarcerated people to non‐incarcerated neighbors, population‐weighted exposure metrics were calculated for each tract containing incarcerated people and compared to surrounding tracts' exposures using non‐incarcerated population weights. Across California, census tracts containing incarcerated people had heightened wildfire‐attributable PM 2.5 exposures and a large proportion of California's incarcerated population (48.5%) resided in tracts in the highest quartile of non‐zero wildfire PM 2.5 days compared to non‐incarcerated people (25.9%). Prisons and jails in areas that have high wildfire smoke exposure levels should improve ventilation capabilities, provide protective equipment and develop preparedness plans.
Source: GeoHealth
DOI: 10.1029/2025gh001569
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,000
Funders: Exact Sciences Corporation, Rajavithi Hospital, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Alzheimer's Association, Pfizer, Atlantic Philanthropies, Department of Water Resources, Western SARE, California Institute of Technology, Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai, Cure Alzheimer's Fund, Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province, Svenska Jägareförbundet, Wellcome Trust, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Virginia and L.E. Simmons Family Foundation, Paula and Rodger Riney Foundation, National Football League Players Association, Konya Teknik Üniversitesi, British Heart Foundation, Leverhulme Trust, European Commission, National Heart Foundation of Australia, Australian Orthopaedic Association, Indian Council of Medical Research, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Charles Sturt University, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Carl Tryggers Stiftelse för Vetenskaplig Forskning, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Ministero della Salute, Cooperative Research Centres, Australian Government Department of Industry, Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, Laerdal Foundation for Acute Medicine, Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu, Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, Universidad de Antioquia, Agentúra na Podporu Výskumu a Vývoja, Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Ecological Society of Australia, Department of Finance of Jilin Province, Southern Medical University, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lublinie, Junta de Andalucía, ShanghaiTech University, Northern Border University, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Ege University Research Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Park Service, Natural Science Foundation of Ningbo, Joint Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Karst Science Research Center of Guizhou Province, Qatar National Library, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Health Services Research Programme, Health Services and Delivery Research Programme, Agentúra Ministerstva Školstva, Vedy, Výskumu a Športu SR, Senior Talent Foundation of Jiangsu University, Major Research Plan, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Henan Provincial Science and Technology Research Project, Science and Technology Program of Guizhou Province, NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Initiative for Innovative Medicine, NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health, Indena, Government of Odisha
OpenAlex ID: W7148664520