Wildfire Smoke Exposure May Greatly Increase Risk of Contracting COVID-19

Wildfire smoke may significantly increase susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new research from the Center for Genomic Medicine at the Desert Research Institute, Washoe County Health District and Renown Health in Reno, Nevada. Credit: United States Department of Agriculture

New study finds a 17.7 percent increase in COVID-19 cases after a prolonged 2020 wildfire smoking event in Reno, Nevada.

Wildfire smoke may significantly increase susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new research from the Center for Genomic Medicine of the Desert Research Institute (DRI), Washoe County Health District (WCHD), and Renown Health (prominence) in Reno, Nev.

In a study recently published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, the DRI-led research team set out to investigate whether smoke from wildfires in the western U.S. in 2020 was associated with an increase in SARS-CoV-2 infections in the United States. reno.

To investigate, the research team used models to analyze the relationship between particulate matter (PM 2.5) from wildfire smoke and SARS-CoV-2 test positivity data from Renown Health, a large, integrated health care network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe, and Northeastern California. .

According to their results, PM 2.5 from wildfire smoke was responsible for a 17.7 percent increase in the number of COVID-19 cases that occurred during a period of prolonged smoke that occurred between August 16 and October 10, 2020.

Wildfire smoke may significantly increase susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new research from the Center for Genomic Medicine at the Desert Research Institute, Washoe County Health District and Renown Health in Reno, Nevada. Credit: DRI

“Our results showed a substantial increase in the COVID-19 positivity rate in Reno at a time when we were affected by heavy wildfire smoke from California wildfires,” said Daniel Kiser, MS, co-lead author of the study and assistant researcher of data science. at DRI. “This is important to know as we are already dealing with heavy wildfire smoke from the Beckwourth Complex fire and rising COVID-19 cases in Nevada and other parts of the western US.”

Reno, located in Washoe County (population 450,000) in northern Nevada, was exposed to higher concentrations of PM2.5 for extended periods in 2020 than other nearby metropolitan areas, including San Francisco. Reno experienced 43 days of elevated PM2.5 during the study period, as opposed to 26 days in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“Last year here in Reno we had a unique situation where we were exposed to wildfire smoke more often than many other areas, including the Bay Area,” said Gai Elhanan, MD, co-lead author of the study and associate research scientist of computer science at DRI. . “We are located in a valley between the mountains that limits the spread of pollutants and potentially increases the magnitude of exposure, making it even more important for us to understand the effects of smoke on human health.”

The new study from Kiser and Elhanan builds on previous research in San Francisco and Orange County by controlling for additional variables such as the overall prevalence of the virus, air temperature and the number of smoke tests performed in a location heavily affected by wildfires.

“We believe that our study significantly strengthens the evidence that smoke from wildfires can amplify the spread of SARS-CoV-2,” Elhanan said. “We’d like to see public health officials in the US be much more aware of this because there are things we can do in terms of public preparedness in the community to help people escape smoke during wildfires.”

Reference: “SARS-CoV-2 test positivity rate in Reno, Nevada: association with PM2.5 during the 2020 wildfire smoke events in the western United States” by Daniel Kiser, Gai Elhanan, William J. Metcalf, Brendan Schnieder, and Joseph J Grzymski, July 13, 2021, Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.
DOI: 10.1038/s41370-021-00366-w

Other authors of the study are William Metcalf (DRI), Brendan Schnieder (WCHD), and Joseph Grzymski, a corresponding author (DRI/Renown).

This research was funded by Renown Health and the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development Coronavirus Relief Fund.

About DRI

The Desert Research Institute (DRI) is a recognized world leader in basic and applied environmental research. Committed to scientific excellence and integrity, the DRI Faculty, students who work with them, and staff have developed scientific knowledge and innovative technologies in research projects around the world. Since 1959, DRI’s research has led to advanced scientific knowledge on topics ranging from the impact of humans on the environment to the impact of the environment on humans. DRI’s impactful science and inspiring solutions support Nevada’s diverse economy, provide science-based education opportunities, and inform policymakers, business leaders and community members. With campuses in Las Vegas and Reno, DRI serves as the nonprofit research arm of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

About Known Health

Renown Health is the region’s largest, local, nonprofit integrated health care network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and Northeastern California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees, Renown has fostered a long-standing culture of excellence, determination and innovation. The organization includes a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and emergency care network, and Hometown Health, the largest local nonprofit insurance company in the region. Renown is currently enrolling participants in the world’s largest community-based population health study, the Healthy Nevada Project®.

About Washoe County Health District’s Air Quality Management Division

The Air Quality Management Division (AQMD) implements clean air solutions that protect the quality of life of residents of Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County through community partnerships, along with programs and services such as air monitoring, licensing and compliance, planning, and public education.