Workplace exposures may mask wildfire smoke-related exposure inequities and mortality
Shkembi, A.; Adar, S. D.; Neitzel, R. L.; Childs, M. L.
Show abstract
Millions of outdoor workers cannot avoid wildfire smoke, likely leading to inequalities in exposure and health risk. We characterized work-related exposure to wildfire PM2.5 for 3,108 contiguous US counties during 2006-2019. Despite experiencing less ambient exposure to wildfire PM2.5, counties with higher portions of non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic Americans experienced higher work-related exposure. We also find suggestive evidence that the effect of ambient smoke fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations on all-cause mortality may differ by workplace exposure. These findings suggest that workplace exposures should be considered in wildfire smoke adaptation measures.
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