Air pollution and suicide in rural and urban America: Evidence from wildfire smoke.

ABSTRACT: Air pollution poses well-established risks to physical health, but little is known about its effects on mental health. We study the relationship between wildfire smoke exposure and suicide risk in the United States in 2007 to 2019 using data on all deaths by suicide and satellite-based measures of wildfire smoke and ambient fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) concentrations. We identify the causal effects of wildfire smoke pollution on suicide by relating year-over-year fluctuations in county-level monthly smoke exposure to fluctuations in suicide rates and compare the effects across local areas and demographic groups that differ considerably in their baseline suicide risk. In rural counties, an additional day of smoke increases monthly mean PM_2.5 by 0.41 μg/m³

SUBMITTER: Molitor D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10515164 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature