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Wildfires Linked to Surge in Heart Attacks, Lung Issues in Los Angeles
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A new study from Cedars-Sinai reveals a significant increase in serious health problems-including heart attacks and respiratory illnesses-in the 90 days following the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
Wildfire Smoke and Immediate Health Risks
A new study from Cedars-Sinai reports a sharp rise in serious health problems in the months following the January 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles. Researchers found that an unusually high number of people experienced heart attacks, lung-related complications, or general illness within 90 days after the fires began.The findings, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), underscore the immediate and substantial health risks posed by wildfires encroaching on urban environments.
“Wildfires that spread into urban areas have proven to be extremely dangerous as of how quickly they move and what they burn and release into the environment,” said Susan Cheng, MD, MPH, director of Public Health Research at Cedars-Sinai and senior author of the study. “Our research suggests the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires had an immediate effect on people’s health.”
The study focused on the Eaton fire and the Pacific Palisades fire,which ignited in January 2025. These fires, fueled by dry conditions and Santa Ana winds, rapidly spread, impacting air quality across a wide area of Los Angeles County.
Analyzing Emergency Department Visits
The Cedars-Sinai Emergency Department, located approximately 10 miles from Pacific Palisades and 20 miles from Altadena (where the largest fires ignited), served as the primary data source. investigators examined emergency department visits during the 90 days after the fires began, from January 7 to April 7, 2025.These data were meticulously compared with emergency visit records from the same calendar period (January 7 to April 7) in each year from 2018 through 2024.
This retrospective analysis allowed researchers to isolate the impact of the 2025 wildfires by controlling for seasonal variations and pre-existing trends in emergency department utilization.
key Findings: A Statistical Increase in Health Events
the total number of emergency department visits increased during the study period.Though, the most concerning finding was the disproportionate rise in specific health conditions. While the full data is still being analyzed, preliminary results indicate:
- A statistically significant increase in heart attacks (myocardial infarctions).
- A notable rise in respiratory illnesses, including asthma exacerbations and bronchitis.
- An increase in general illness and complaints related to air quality.
Researchers are currently working to quantify the exact percentage increase in each category and to identify specific demographic groups that may be notably vulnerable to the health effects of wildfire smoke.
