The impact of disasters, be they natural or manmade, on population health does not typically emerge for several years.
Just over four years on from Australia’s devastating “Black Summer” bushfires, we are starting to learn how the haze of smoke that blanketed the east coast for an entire summer is impacting the most vulnerable in society: babies and young children.
Bushfire babies is a 24-minute documentary film from Bloomberg Investigates that explores some of the tragic long-term health impacts that are starting to emerge since Black Summer. Starting with a case study of a family in Nelligen on the south coast of New South Wales that experienced deadly fires around New Years’ Day 2020, it features commentary from a rural GP Dr Rebecca McGowan, who says she is on the “frontline” of smoke-related health impacts.
Dr McGowan presents a shopping list of health issues that her patients have presented since the fires, including increased risk of pre-term birth, high blood pressure in mothers, low birth weights, babies born early and placenta dysfunction. More disturbingly, she is seeing an increase in mental health conditions in Albury, regional New South Wales.
Bloomberg managing editor, Australia and New Zealand, Rebecca Jones described feeling shocked when Dr McGowan described the impact on the placenta of one of her patients who had given birth during the fires. The midwives present at the delivery said her placenta looked as if she smoked more than a pack of cigarettes per day. The woman was a non-smoker.
More than breathing problems
The narrative then switches to a Hobart-based pollution expert, professor Fay Johnston from the University of Tasmania, who speaks of the dangers of particulate matter, especially the tiny PM 2.5, which crosses through the lungs and into the bloodstream. This causes a whole lot of issues including increased blood glucose levels, increased cortisol levels and cardiovascular system dysfunction.
Reporter Amy Bainbridge speaks of the considerable medical research she sifted through for the creation of the documentary. One difficulty is that most of the studies are a “point in time” and do not show longitudinal impacts on population health. But more surprisingly, she says health impacts from smoke inhalation are going beyond typical cardiovascular symptoms to what she termed “cognitive aspects”, including mobility, balance and speech development.
Tragically however, the exact cause or nature of these health impacts will probably never be known. “It’s really difficult to say “this bushfire caused that asthma,” Johnston said.
The film concludes with a discussion on practical steps people can take to manage the amount of pollution they are exposed to. Some tips: not standing downstream from barbeques, not standing too close to your gas stove, putting on your rangehood if you’ve got one.
The Royal Commission on the Black Summer bushfires recommended better early warning systems, and an increased use of air purifiers during fire seasons.
Bainbridge takes this a step further by suggesting that governments should subsidise the cost of air purifiers or provide safe community spaces where fire-affected people can go and spend time and providing improved health information for pregnant women and families with young children.
The human cost of climate change
Bloomberg’s Jones said the documentary was about six months in the making, and involved a lot of cross-border communication between various Bloomberg bureaux who were responsible for reporting, editing and post-production.
Overall, she was surprised about people’s willingness to speak about their situations, despite the harrowing situations they had endured only a few years’ previously.
“The conclusion is that this is going to be the human cost of climate change. It’s telling us that we need to have a conversation about it and some stories need to be told through immersion.
“Bushfire babies is shedding light on something that would otherwise not receive attention. It’s telling us that we need to shine a light on these things, more as society as a whole,” Jones said.
You can watch Bushfire Babies for free on Bloomberg Investigates or Bloomberg’s You Tube channel.