Wildfire smoke increases risk of mental illness in children, new study finds

Each day a child breathes wildfire smoke thick with ash and fine soot that child’s likelihood of experiencing anxiety and depression and other mental health problems increases, according to new scientific research on air pollution and childhood development.

The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, looked at the impact of wildfire smoke when it hangs in the air for days and how it impacts the mental health of youth in late childhood and early adolescent development stages. What the researchers found was the risk went up the longer a child was exposed to the fine particulate matter found in wildfire smoke.

And as climate change makes wildfires more extreme and more frequent, that is not good for the nation’s young people, said Harry Smolker, a research scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Institute of Cognitive Science and one of the authors of the report.

“The Clean Air Act reduced average levels of air pollution, but due to climate change we see larger and more frequent wildfires. These are the biggest sources of these extreme fine particulate matter exposure days. As we see a hotter drier world and wildfires become stronger, this issue is only going to become more prevalent,” Smolker said.

Over the years, research has shown that prolonged exposure to air pollution harms people’s lungs and heart. And in the past 10 years, scientists have become more interested in learning how that pollution might impact people’s brains. And to that end, there’s been little research on the immediate impact of intense wildfire smoke, especially on children in late childhood and puberty, Smolker said.

“We know the brain development processes that occur during late childhood and early adolescence are unique,” he said.

The new research comes as wildfires continue to burn across the American West, particularly in California. While Colorado dealt with its own wildfires in late July and early August, the smoke from fires burning in California and other western state is drifting over the Rocky Mountains, creating poor air quality here.

So what are parents and school leaders to do when the wildfire smoke is heavy?

Smolker and other public health officials recommend keeping children indoors as much as possible and, if they are outside, limit their exertion. Air purifiers also are proven to be beneficial, Smolker said. He also recommends using N95 masks, which filter out fine particulate matter.

“It’s a tough problem,” he said, acknowledging how important it is for children to play outside.

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