Abstract
BACKGROUND: The impact of wildfire smoke (WFS) on air quality across the contiguous US has become geographically widespread. However, the effects of WFS exposure on psychometric measures of mental and physical health remain largely unknown. OBJECTIVES: To assess the associations between WFS PM(2.5) and black carbon (BC) exposure and psychometric health measures. METHODS: The St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) were administered to participants in the Lovelace Smokers Cohort in New Mexico to assess psychometric health measures in the past 4 weeks. WFS estimates were calculated against Albuquerque metropolitan area for 7-, 15-, 30-, and 60-d prior to questionnaire completion. The associations between exposure and health measures were assessed using linear models. RESULTS: Associations were observed for all psychometric measures with WFS PM(2.5) and BC exposures estimated for 7-day prior to questionnaire completion. These associations remained for WFS exposure estimated up to 30-day prior to questionnaire completion for all SGRQ subdomains and physical health measures of SF-36, whereas associations with the mental health component were more transient and primarily evident within one week. Additionally, WFS PM(2.5) exhibited stronger potency than total ambient PM(2.5). Male participants, individuals with less than a college education, and those exposed to woodsmoke demonstrated stronger associations with WFS exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to WFS was associated with worse SGRQ and SF-36 scores, with notable differences in temporal patterns between mental and physical health measures. Our findings also underscore the importance of source-specific risk assessment for air pollution.