Effects of landscape fire smoke on the heart

The megafires of the summer of 2019-20 are a foretaste of the future. Landscape fires will become more common and severe with climate change in Australia. In 2014 an out of control bushfire ignited the Hazelwood open cut brown coal mine, which burned for 6 weeks. The nearby town of Morwell and the rest of the Latrobe Valley were covered in smoke and ash. The Hazelwood Health Study (HHS) was established to investigate potential long-term health effects of prolonged exposure to this smoke. A survey was conducted of adults from Morwell and the comparison town of Sale which was not exposed to the smoke. Morwell residents were significantly more likely than Sale residents to report "heart attacks" following the fire. Subsequently we performed clinical testing of 500 people, but did not find any difference in markers of inflammation, heart damage or heart failure between the two groups. Specifically ECGs were not more likely to show previous myocardial infarcts or ischaemic changes in participants from Morwell. We also obtained data on emergency presentations and hospital admissions, which did not show a relationship between fine particle exposure and cardiovascular disease. This project would investigate the apparent discrepancy between self reported "heart attacks" and objective markers of heart disease. It would involve comparing survey responses with clinical test results and hospital data. The project would suit a student who is comfortable working with people and has an interest in the area of environmental health. He/she would like to develop skills in quantitative data analysis and interpretation. The student will be part of the HHS research team, which includes physicians, epidemiologists, psychologists, statisticians and social scientists. In addition to writing a thesis, there will be an opportunity to write a paper for publication. For further information on the HHS in which this project sits, see https://hazelwoodhealthstudy.org.au/