New UCLA data shows wildfires hurt our health and our wallets

Every year, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research asks thousands of California households about topics that influence health, the largest state survey of its kind in the U.S.

The findings of the 2024 California Health Interview Survey, which has just been released, show that nearly 14 million adults personally experienced a wildfire or were exposed to smoke from one.

The data only covers between 2022 and 2024, so it does not include the January fires. However, the responses show how blazes are detrimental to many aspects of our health.

Wildfires hurt our lungs

Among adults who experienced a wildfire in the past two years, nearly 10% said it hurt their physical health — that’s up slightly from 2023, according to the survey’s data dashboard AskCHIS.

For those who experienced wildfire smoke, a quarter of respondents said it affected them physically. Smoke showed to be a driving factor in asthmatic episodes, too.

“ We observed higher rates of having an asthma attack in the past 12 months among those who had experienced smoke from a wildfire in the past two years,” said Todd Hughes, director of the California Health Interview Survey.

That was about five percentage points higher compared to those who didn’t get exposed to wildfire smoke.

Mental health changes

The survey also looked beyond the physical to explore mental health effects.

Among adults, 1 in 6 who experienced wildfires in the past two years said it hurt their mental health, while 1 in 7 who dealt with smoke said they also struggled mentally.

“ These data reflect the respondent’s own self-assessment of any mental health impact,” Hughes said.

That’s why the team made sure to look at more objective measures as well.

They found that fire- or smoke-affected respondents had higher rates of serious psychological distress and visits to a professional for mental health and substance abuse issues.

Medical debt increases

Wildfires’ effect on medical debt also proved to be significant.

“ When there’s so many financial issues affecting families that are impacted by wildfires,” Hughes said, “we examine the relationship between medical debt and wildfires.”

Adults who experienced a wildfire in the past two years had higher rates of struggling to pay medical bills in the past 12 months. That’s just under 16% compared to 10% of those who didn’t experience a wildfire.