Joan Casey Quoted in Los Angeles Times Article on how Wildfire Smoke Raises Dementia Risk More Than Other Pollutants
Posted: 8/22/2024 (CSDE Research)
CSDE Affiliate Joan Casey was recently quoted in the Los Angeles Times Article, “Wildfire smoke raises dementia risk more than other pollutants.” According to a landmark study of more than 1.2 million Californians, exposure to wildfire smoke increases the odds of being diagnosed with dementia more than other forms of air pollutants. These findings have large health implications, especially in western states where air pollution produced by wildfires now accounts for up to half of all fine-particle pollution. Researchers looked at a type of particulate-matter pollution called PM 2.5 which is 30 times smaller than the width of human hair and is small enough, “to penetrate deeply into the lungs and cross over into the bloodstream, where they can cause inflammation.” Exposure to these particles have shown to increase the risk of dementia and various other conditions like heart disease, low birth weight, and asthma. Dr. Casey states that “we increasingly see that PM 2.5 is tied to virtually every health outcome we look at.” Dr. Casey and collaborators analyzed the health records of more than 1.2 million Kaiser Permanente Southern California members who are 60 or older between the years of 2009 and 2019. This article covers work presented at the annual Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2024 (AAIC) in Philadelphia and is currently under review, visit the link to read more about this research.