Californian Wildfires and Associated Human Health Outcomes An Epidemiological Scoping Review

Background Over the last decade, the frequency and severity of wildfires have notably increased as a result of climate change, posing a significant threat to human health. Objective This review answers the question “What are the health outcomes associated with wildfires in California - Methods PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science, EBSCO Host, and JSTOR were searched to identify 407 articles using keywords such as “Health- OR “Health Outcomes- AND “Wildfires- AND “California-. A total of 48 sources were reviewed and thematically analyzed after examining the data for duplicates, full text articles, and relevancy. Results Eight negative implications of wildfires on human health are described in the literature respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, mental health issues, physical health effects, burns and temperature related illnesses, infectious diseases, cancer, and mortality. Research and evidence on the impacts of wildfires pertaining to specific vulnerable individuals and the ecosystem are limited. Discussion By highlighting the adverse health effects associated with wildfires, this review provides a summary of known health outcomes that can inform preventative measures to combat this issue. Subsequently, this will enable the global community to work towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal SDG 3 good health and wellbeing , SDG 13 climate action , and SDG 15 life on land . Eshwari Nanjappan | Emily Sullo | Srijain Shrestha | Shara Thomas | Elysée Nouvet "Californian Wildfires and Associated Human Health Outcomes: An Epidemiological Scoping Review" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-5 , August 2021, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd43939.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/medicine/other/43939/californian-wildfires-and-associated-human-health-outcomes-an-epidemiological-scoping-review/eshwari-nanjappan