National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA.
National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA.
Sci Total Environ. 2018 Apr 1;619-620:376-383. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.270. Epub 2017 Nov 29.
Wildfire episodes pose a significant public health threat in the United States. Adverse health impacts associated with wildfires occur near the burn area as well as in places far downwind due to wildfire smoke exposures. Health effects associated with exposure to particulate matter arising from wildfires can range from mild eye and respiratory tract irritation to more serious outcomes such as asthma exacerbation, bronchitis, and decreased lung function. Real-time operational forecasts of wildfire smoke concentrations are available but they are not readily integrated with information on vulnerable populations necessary to identify at-risk communities during wildfire smoke episodes. Efforts are currently underway at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop an online tool that utilizes short-term predictions and forecasts of smoke concentrations and integrates them with measures of population-level vulnerability for identifying at-risk populations to wildfire smoke hazards. The tool will be operationalized on a national scale, seeking input and assistance from several academic, federal, state, local, Tribal, and Territorial partners. The final product will then be incorporated into CDC's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (http://ephtracking.cdc.gov), providing users with access to a suite of mapping and display functionalities. A real-time vulnerability assessment tool incorporating standardized health and exposure datasets, and prevention guidelines related to wildfire smoke hazards is currently unavailable for public health practitioners and emergency responders. This tool could strengthen existing situational awareness competencies, and expedite future response and recovery efforts during wildfire episodes.
在美国，野火事件构成了重大的公共卫生威胁。野火产生的烟雾会对健康造成不利影响，这些影响不仅发生在燃烧区域附近，也会在顺风方向很远的地方出现，因为人们会接触到野火烟雾。与接触野火产生的颗粒物有关的健康影响范围从轻微的眼睛和呼吸道刺激到更严重的后果，如哮喘恶化、支气管炎和肺功能下降。目前已经可以实时提供野火烟雾浓度的业务预报，但这些预报与脆弱人群的信息尚未很好地结合，无法在野火烟雾事件期间识别出高危社区。美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）目前正在努力开发一个在线工具，该工具利用烟雾浓度的短期预测和预报，并将其与人口水平脆弱性的衡量标准相结合，以识别受野火烟雾危害影响的高危人群。该工具将在全国范围内运作，寻求来自几个学术、联邦、州、地方、部落和属地合作伙伴的投入和协助。最终产品将被纳入 CDC 的国家环境公共卫生跟踪网络（http://ephtracking.cdc.gov），使用户能够访问一系列地图和显示功能。目前，公共卫生从业人员和应急响应人员无法使用整合了标准化健康和暴露数据集以及与野火烟雾危害相关的预防指南的实时脆弱性评估工具。该工具可以增强现有的态势感知能力，并在野火事件期间加快未来的响应和恢复工作。
