Scientists at the Oregon Institute of Technology have been awarded a $1 million grant from the federal government that could result in research on wildfire smoke that improves health outcomes in Southern Oregon. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports a team of Oregon Tech scientists has been studying the capacity of hospitals in the Rogue Valley to handle patients arriving with respiratory problems during wildfires when air quality plummets. Kyle Chapman, an associate professor of sociology and population health at the Oregon Institute of Technology, and his colleagues, will expand their focus to include admissions due to heart conditions experienced during wildfires in addition to respiratory illnesses such as asthma, which wildfire smoke can exacerbate.
Scientists expand study on air quality impact on health
