Bushfire smoke may be impacting the mental health of kids, with Australian-led research showing that emergency department visits for child mental health increased in the six days after exposure. The research looked at how levels of air pollution following a bushfire impacted emergency department visits for kids' mental health and compared this data with visits following exposure to air pollution from other sources. They found that air pollution from bushfires posed a greater risk and a higher number of emergency department visits from various mental disorders among children and adolescents than other types of air pollution. The researchers say urgent action is needed to mitigate the mental health impacts of bushfire air pollution, safeguarding the well-being of future generations in the face of increasing bushfires.
Bushfire smoke linked to increase in emergency visits for child mental health
