Bushfire smoke linked to increase in emergency visits for child mental health

Publicly released:
Australia; VIC
Photo by Dominik Kiss on Unsplash. Story by Lyndal Byford, Australian Science Media Centre
Photo by Dominik Kiss on Unsplash. Story by Lyndal Byford, Australian Science Media Centre

Bushfire smoke may be impacting the mental health of kids, with Australian-led research showing that emergency department visits for child mental health increased in the six days after exposure. The research looked at how levels of air pollution following a bushfire impacted emergency department visits for kids' mental health and compared this data with visits following exposure to air pollution from other sources. They found that air pollution from bushfires posed a greater risk and a higher number of emergency department visits from various mental disorders among children and adolescents than other types of air pollution. The researchers say urgent action is needed to mitigate the mental health impacts of bushfire air pollution, safeguarding the well-being of future generations in the face of increasing bushfires.

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Journal/
conference:
Nature Mental Health
Research:Paper
Organisation/s: Monash University
Funder: This study is supported by the Australian Research Council (DP210102076) and the Australian National Health & Medical Research Council (APP2000581). Y.Z. is supported by NHMRC e-Asia Joint Research Program Grant (GNT2000581). R.X. is supported by Monash Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Science (FMNHS) Bridging Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 and VicHealth Postdoctoral Research Fellowships 2022. S.Z., T.Y. and W.Y. were supported by Monash Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Science (FMNHS) Early Career Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025. P.Y. was supported by Monash Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Science (FMNHS) Early Career Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023. M.S.Z.S.C. and P.H.N.S. are supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation. S.L. is supported by the Emerging Leader Fellowship (GNT2009866) of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council; Y.G. is supported by the Career Development Fellowship (GNT1163693) and the Leader Fellowship (GNT2008813) of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.
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