Air pollution from the Hazelwood mine fire had a long term impact on locals' lung health

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-08-20 03:00

Australia; VIC

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La Trobe Valley residents exposed to air pollution when the 2014 Hazelwood mine fire blanketed the region in smoke for 45 days show signs of accelerated lung aging, according to Australian research. 3.5 to four years after the fire, the researchers tested the lungs of about 500 people either from the Victorian town of Morwell, which was blanketed with smoke during the fire, or Sale, a nearby town that was unaffected. They measured ventilation heterogeneity, an uneven mixing of gases in the airways that can be a sign of accelerated lung aging. The researchers say those exposed to PM2.5 air pollution following the Hazelwood fire had greater ventilation heterogeneity, comparable to the estimated effect of 4.7 additional years of aging.