A new study has found that older adults living in the western United States are more likely to end up in the hospital for breathing problems when wildfire smoke levels are high. The research, published on April 30 in JAMA Network Open, highlights a growing health risk as wildfires become more common and intense due to climate change.
The study was led by Sofia L. Vega from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her team looked at hospital records from over 10 million people aged 65 and older who were on Medicare. The data covered a ten-year period from 2006 to 2016 and included about 57 million months of health records and more than 4.7 million unexpected hospital visits.
Researchers focused on a specific type of air pollution found in wildfire smoke: fine particles known as PM2.5.
These tiny particles are small enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs and can cause serious health problems. To measure exposure, the team used advanced machine learning tools to estimate how much smoke-related PM2.5 people were breathing in different areas.
The results showed a clear link between smoke pollution and hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, and other lung conditions.
The risk of going to the hospital increased when smoke particle levels rose above 25 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³). When levels reached as high as 40 µg/m³, an average of 2.4 more people per 100,000 were hospitalized each day for respiratory issues.
Interestingly, there was also a small increase in hospital visits for heart-related problems, with 3.61 more hospitalizations per 100,000 at higher pollution levels, but this result was not strong enough to be considered statistically significant.
That means it’s possible the increase could have happened by chance. The study did not find any links between smoke and hospital visits for other reasons.
This research is important because it clearly shows that wildfire smoke is a serious health risk for older people, especially when the smoke is heavy. Older adults are more vulnerable because their lungs and immune systems are often weaker, and they may already have health problems that make it harder to breathe.
The authors of the study say their findings can help doctors and decision-makers develop better strategies to protect older people during wildfire season. For example, health alerts could be sent out when smoke levels rise, and communities could offer clean air shelters or encourage people to stay indoors with air purifiers.
In summary, this study adds to growing evidence that wildfire smoke is not just a temporary nuisance—it poses a real danger to public health, particularly for seniors. As wildfires continue to worsen in the western U.S., protecting older adults from harmful smoke must become a priority for both healthcare providers and policymakers.
If you care about lung health, please read studies about marijuana’s effects on lung health, and why some non-smokers get lung disease and some heavy smokers do not.
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The research findings can be found in JAMA Network Open.
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