Study finds that short-term exposure to smoke from 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires in Alberta affected lung function

Equipment more sensitive than a conventional spirometer was able to detect lung damage

Horse River Fire Alberta, Canada 2016
A police officer walks past burned homes in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada May 5, 2016. AFP photo / Alberta RCMP / HO

A study on the health of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers who were deployed in Alberta, Canada in 2016 to the Horse River Fire at Fort McMurray found that their airway function was compromised in the first three months after deployment. An analysis of health data from 218 officers revealed that the small airways in their lungs underwent structural changes after they were deployed, potentially increasing their risk for respiratory diseases in the future. The median exposure duration of the officers was eight days.

“We cannot tell from our study whether it’s long-lasting damage, but we do know from other studies that if people are exposed to high levels of particulate matter in the air, they are more likely to suffer from long-lasting damage to the lungs,” said Paige Lacy, professor of medicine at the University of Alberta and former director of research for the Alberta Respiratory Centre.

The Horse River Fire caused the largest evacuation in Canadian history, with more than 80,000 people rapidly removed from the community as fires encroached on the city. Hundreds of RCMP members were sent to the community to assist with the evacuation and to secure the area in the following days. The fire burned 589,552 hectares (1.4 million acres) in 2016 and destroyed 2,400 structures. The extreme fire behavior created lightning in the pyrocumulonimbus cloud atop the smoke column that started a number of new wildfires 40 kilometers (26 miles) ahead of the main wildfire front according to a report released in June of 2017.

Horse River Fire Alberta
These two fires started at about the same time on May 1, 2016 near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. On the left is the MMD-004 fire inside the city limits of Fort McMurray. The Horse River Fire, often referred to as the Fort McMurray Fire, is on the right.

Subtle changes in lung function detected
The lung-function data were gathered as part of a larger study being conducted by Synergy Respiratory and Cardiac Care, looking at the health of RCMP officers dispatched to the Fort McMurray wildfire. According to the researchers, the subtle differences in lung function that were found were not measurable using traditional lung-function tests, and could only be observed through the use of more sensitive instruments. Researchers employed both spirometry and body plethysmography testing methods.

“Small airways are potentially more vulnerable and there is no way that a spirometer (a device commonly used to measure lung function) can detect the progression of their damage over time,” said Subhabrata Moitra, first author on the study and a post-doctoral fellow in the U of A’s Division of Pulmonary Medicine. “So if we use highly sensitive instruments, we can immediately get some signals whether there are any acute yet subtle changes caused by physiological factors or occupational or environmental hazards.”

The researchers noted that because the officers only came in for testing once after being deployed, they were not able to observe potential recovery of lung function or measure long-term damage.

The authors of the study pointed out the importance of having a health-surveillance program in place so responders who are exposed to such hazards can have their health monitored.

Survey finds that firefighters also complained of respiratory issues
A survey found that some firefighters who fought the fire at Fort McMurray also battled respiratory and mental health issues.

Below is an excerpt from a 2017 CBC news article:

The University of Alberta study surveyed 355 firefighters and found a “very large proportion” of them complained of respiratory issues including coughing, breathlessness, wheezing and chest tightness in the immediate aftermath of the fire.

“When we saw them later, probably about one in five of those still had problems with their chests that they felt had been caused or made worse by the fire,” said Nicola Cherry, the epidemiologist leading the study.

And they’re battling more than just physical ailments — mental-health issues affect one in six of study participants.

“When we collected this information, it was early days and people may develop bigger issues as time goes forward,” Cherry said.

Our Take
It is likely that wildland firefighters are routinely exposed to far higher concentrations of smoke and for longer periods of time than the RCMP officers at Fort McMurray. It is important that agencies who employ wildland firefighters establish a health-surveillance program that includes lung function tests using methods such as body plethysmography that are much more sensitive than a conventional spirometer.

Typos, let us know HERE, and specify which article. Please read the commenting rules before you post a comment.

Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.

4 thoughts on “Study finds that short-term exposure to smoke from 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires in Alberta affected lung function”

  1. No baseline tests done before they were dispatched equates to USELESS DATA. You have no idea the condition of their lungs prior to being exposed. Don’t use BS like this to make your point. I know from personal experience with inversions and working direct on active line that your lungs can be compromised short term at the very least and likely longer term. Reputable, repeatable studies are needed. These studies also need to distinguish between WUI and wildland fires. WUI fires have an acrid smell that tells me there are a lot more dangerous chemicals in the air and need to be treated accordingly.

    0
    0
  2. This testing is really needed amongst our workforce. What would happen if you were to show diminished lung capacity, etc… Would they just give you a payout or something?

    Even if you weren’t compensated, the data may push the agencies to do something about smoke exposure. The current situation of sleeping everyone down in an inversion in camp so it’s more convenient for the IMT is not a good model. COVID showed us that we can spike out and not breathe in all the smoke, hopefully they continue that in the future.

    0
    0
  3. Hi Bill,
    First, “Equipment more sensitive than a conventional spirometer was able to detect lung damage”
    Then, ““We cannot tell from our study whether it’s long-lasting damage, but we do know from other studies that if people are exposed to high levels of particulate matter in the air, they are more likely to suffer from long-lasting damage to the lungs,” said Paige Lacy, professor of medicine at the University of Alberta and former director of research for the Alberta Respiratory Centre.”
    Then, “high levels of particulate matter [small solid particles] in the air [very, very tiny molecules]”.
    I believe POLLENS are understood (believed) to be small solid particles. I know as an young farmer was exposed to high levels of particular matter in the air frequently when planting and harvesting. At the same time I was exposed to MUCH smoke as I played pool in the ‘Pool Hall’.
    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote: “The temptation to form premature theories upon insufficient data is the bane of our profession.”

    0
    0
    1. While pollen is small, it is actually huge compared to wildfire smoke. Pollen according to Google is 10 – 70 microns in size. Particulate matter from fire mostly 2.5 microns and even smaller. The health consequences for accumulation of those particles in the human body are well known from vast amounts of air pollution studies from multiple countries and research institutions. Health consequences from extreme exposure to smoke is not a ‘one off study’ as your comment indicates.

      Here is a short summary from the EPA of health concerns:
      https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/health-and-environmental-effects-particulate-matter-pm

      0
      0

Comments are closed.