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. 2023 Apr 15:223:115440.
doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115440. Epub 2023 Feb 8.

Long-term impact of the 2014 Hazelwood coal mine fire on emergency department presentations in Australia

Catherine L Smith  1 , Caroline X Gao  2 , Rongbin Xu  1 , Jillian F Ikin  1 , Christina Dimitriadis  1 , Matthew Tc Carroll  3 , Malcolm R Sim  1 , Dion Stub  4 , Tyler J Lane  1 , Michael J Abramson  1 , Yuming Guo  5
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Free article

Long-term impact of the 2014 Hazelwood coal mine fire on emergency department presentations in Australia

Catherine L Smith et al. Environ Res. .
Free article

Abstract

Background: In 2014, wildfires ignited a coal mine in Australia, burning for 6 weeks, releasing large amounts of fine particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5). We investigated the association between individual PM2.5 exposure and emergency department presentations (EDPs) within 5 years post-fire.

Methods: Survey and exposure data for 2725 residents from an exposed and unexposed town were linked with ED administrative data from 2009 to 2019. The association between individual PM2.5 and EDPs was assessed using recurrent survival analysis.

Results: A 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with a 10% increase in respiratory EDPs (HR = 1.10; 95%CI:1.00-1.22) over 5 years post-fire. Increased risks of EDPs for ischaemic heart disease (HR = 1.39; 95%CI:1.12-1.73), atherothrombotic disease (HR = 1.27; 95%CI:1.08-1.50), and cardiovascular disease (HR = 1.10, 95%CI:0.99-1.22) were evident within 2.5 years.

Conclusion: PM2.5 exposure from a 6-week mine fire increased the 5-year risk of respiratory conditions. An increased risk of CVD within 2.5 years post-fire subsided after this time.

Keywords: Coal; Data linkage; Emergency department; Longitudinal studies; Particulate matter; Smoke; Survival analysis; Wildfires.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Michael Abramson reports a relationship with Pfizer that includes: funding grants. Michael Abramson reports a relationship with Boehringer-Ingelheim that includes: funding grants. Michael Abramson reports a relationship with Sanofi that includes: consulting or advisory and funding grants. Michael Abramson reports a relationship with GSK that includes: funding grants and speaking and lecture fees. Dion Stub reports a relationship with National Heart Foundation of Australia that includes: funding grants. Yuming Guo reports a relationship with Australian National Health and Medical Research Council that includes: funding grants.

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