Masri Shahir, LeBrón Alana M W, Zhang Annie, Jones Lisa B, Ogunseitan Oladele A, Wu Jun
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
Department of Health, Society, and Behavior, Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, University of California, Irvine, CA 92617, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025 Jun 26;22(7):1003. doi: 10.3390/ijerph22071003.
Fire events can impact physical and mental health through smoke exposure, evacuation, property loss, and/or other environmental stressors. In this study, we developed community-driven, cross-sectional online surveys to assess public attitudes, health impacts, and protective actions of residents affected by the Tustin hangar fire that burned for 24 days in southern California. Results showed the most frequently reported fire-related exposure concerns (93%) to be asbestos and general air pollution and the most commonly reported mental health impacts to be anxiety (41%), physical fatigue (37%), headaches (33%), and stress (26%). Nose/sinus irritation was the most commonly reported (26.0%) respiratory symptom, while skin- and eye-related conditions were reported by 63.0% and 72.2% of the survey population, respectively. The most commonly reported health-protective actions taken by residents included staying indoors and/or closing doors and windows (67%), followed by wearing face masks (37%) and the indoor use of air purifiers (35%). A higher proportion of low-income residents had to spend money on remediation or other health-protective actions compared to high-income residents. Participants overwhelmingly reported disapproval of their city's and/or government's response to the fire disaster. Findings from this study underscore the potential impacts of major pollution events on neighboring communities and offer critical insights to better position government agencies to respond during future disasters while effectively communicating with the public and addressing community needs.
火灾事件可通过接触烟雾、疏散、财产损失和/或其他环境压力源影响身心健康。在本研究中，我们开展了由社区主导的横断面在线调查，以评估受加利福尼亚州南部持续燃烧24天的图斯廷机库火灾影响的居民的公众态度、健康影响和保护行动。结果显示，最常报告的与火灾相关的接触担忧（93%）是石棉和一般空气污染，最常报告的心理健康影响是焦虑（41%）、身体疲劳（37%）、头痛（33%）和压力（26%）。鼻子/鼻窦刺激是最常报告的（26.0%）呼吸道症状，而分别有63.0%和72.2%的调查人群报告了皮肤和眼睛相关状况。居民最常报告采取的健康保护行动包括待在室内和/或关闭门窗（67%），其次是佩戴口罩（37%）和在室内使用空气净化器（35%）。与高收入居民相比，有更高比例的低收入居民不得不花钱进行补救或采取其他健康保护行动。参与者绝大多数表示不赞成他们所在城市和/或政府对火灾灾难的应对。本研究的结果强调了重大污染事件对周边社区的潜在影响，并提供了关键见解，以便更好地让政府机构在未来灾难期间做出应对，同时与公众进行有效沟通并满足社区需求。
