BY ISABEL EVERETT
Researchers from the University of Newcastle, Hunter Medical Research
Institute and Hunter New England Health have received more than $860,000 to analyse the physiological and mental health effects of hazardous bushfire smoke.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) have funded project led by conjoint Professor Peter Gibson.
"One of the things we're particularly looking at is what did people do to avoid the exposure, and did it work," Professor Gibson said.
"We've already started talking to people about what did and didn't work in terms of simple things such as staying inside and closing windows and did that reduce the chance of long term outcomes."
"Also not only personnel protection like masks but bigger picture stuff like should you leave the area all together, and for how long, and whether the design of the building you're in also plays a role."
The outcomes of the two year project will be staged, with the researchers aiming to get information out before the next bush fire season.
Other more detailed aspects like analyzing samples and understanding how the body responds to the smoke is expected to take around 18 months.
Staff at the John Hunter Hospital, will be exploring the impacts of prolonged exposure to the smoke on vulnerable groups, such as pregnant and breastfeeding women with mild
asthma, and adults with severe asthma.
The experiences of those who were suffering from asthma at the time of the
devastating bushfires last year and at the beginning of this year will be examined.
"We’ll be
working to ascertain the impact on quality of life, mental health, respiratory
symptoms, lung function and, in mothers with asthma, the impact on perinatal
outcomes and infant feeding,” Professor Gibson said.
"We’ll be
assessing the effectiveness of exposure reduction strategies. We’ll also be
examining biological samples from our participants to look at the presence and
extent of contaminants present."
University of
Newcastle Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation), Professor Janet
Nelson, said the significant funding success was critical in ensuring
Australia’s preparedness into the future.
“As we continue to see more and more extreme bushfire activity, we need
to be prepared to address the significant health effects on our communities,”
she said.
“We have
outstanding respiratory researchers here in the Hunter with a strong background
in diseases of the airways,” HMRI Institute Director, Professor Tom Walley, said.
“It’s
exciting to see how their existing knowledge into respiratory diseases can be
translated into finding solutions to emerging and long-term health problems
around bushfire smoke.”
