July 2006
After the Fires, Floods?
Areas devastated by the wildfires in Southern California now face the threat of flash floods and mudslides during and soon after a rainstorm. Until new vegetation rebinds the soil in areas affected by the fires, people who live downslope of a wildfire area are especially susceptible to the new threats. Jay Famiglietti, associate professor of earth system science and of civil and environmental engineering and a hydrologist, is available to speak to reporters about mudslides, landslides and flash floods that may next wreak havoc in Southern California should rain arrive in the coming days. Famiglietti’s areas of research include hydrologic and climate system modeling for studies of land-ocean-atmosphere interaction, satellite remote sensing of soil moisture and terrestrial water storage, soil moisture variability and scaling, and global change impacts on water resources and hydrology-vegetation interaction. To interview Famiglietti, contact Jennifer Fitzenberger at 949-824-3969 or jfitzen@uci.edu.
Coping with the Trauma of a Natural Disaster
Roxane Cohen Silver, professor of psychology and social behavior, has expertise in coping with trauma and grief. She examines cognitive, emotional, social and physical responses to stressful life events – including natural disasters – in order to identify factors that facilitate successful adjustment to them. In a study funded by the National Science Foundation, Silver looked at Laguna Beach and Malibu residents’ psychological responses to the 1993 Southern California firestorms. She is currently principal investigator of a national longitudinal study of psychological responses to the September 11th terrorist attacks. She also explores long-term effects of traumatic experiences, considering how beliefs and expectations of the social network impact the coping process. Silver is a fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society. To interview Cohen Silver, contact Christine Byrd at 949-824-9055 or cbyrd@uci.edu.
Large-Scale Forest Fires Raise Ozone Pollutant Levels
The product of large-scale forest fires is easy to see – thick, dark smoke filling the skies. But downwind, gaseous emissions from fires create a pollutant invisible to the eye, but no less dangerous – ozone. Atmospheric chemist Donald Blake, who studies the impact of biomass burning on the atmosphere, says that when sunlight combines with nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons in the smoke, resulting chemical reactions form ozone, and lots of it. These enhanced concentrations of ozone can blow around for several weeks, Blake adds. The result is air quality downwind from fires that can reach hazardous levels. Ozone’s effect on humans can range from eye irritation to worsening existing lung conditions such as asthma. Blake can be reached at 949-824-4195 or drblake@uci.edu.
Additional contact: Jennifer Fitzenberger, 949-824-3969, jfitzen@uci.edu
Air Pollution from Fires May Affect Children More Harshly
While air pollution can have ill effects on all people, children are likely to face greater risks of developing lung diseases from air pollutants. Robert Phalen, director of UCI’s Air Pollution Health Effects Laboratory, has spent more than 20 years studying the link between air pollutants and asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. Currently, Phalen is taking part in a large Environmental Protection Agency effort to calculate the lung volume difference between children and adults in relationship to the unique exposures and amounts of pollutants that enter their lungs. Children breathe in more air per pound than adults, and their airways are more efficient in trapping pollutants. “Because of this, air pollution can affect children up to nine times more harshly than adults,” Phalen said. “Studies like these help us learn to predict how air pollution levels will affect children by what we know of their impact on adults. This is important, because asthma has become the No. 1 chronic disease keeping kids out of school.” In addition, Phalen’s latest book, The Particulate Air Pollution Controversy, looks at the cause and effect relationship between air pollution and human health. To interview Phalen, contact Tom Vasich at 949-824-6455 or tmvasich@uci.edu.
Air Pollution from Fires Can Worsen Existing Lung Conditions
Michael Kleinman, a community and environmental health and medicine researcher at UCI, is the chair of the State of California Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality Advisory Committee. He is available to talk about how exposure to pollutants from the fires in Southern California can accelerate lung conditions, including asthma. Smoke particles contain many chemicals, some of which are caustic or irritating. The possible health effects of smoke inhalation depend on the concentration of the pollutants inhaled, how close one is to the fire, and for how long one has been exposed. Exercising in a contaminated environment can greatly increase the dose to the respiratory tract. Reduced lung function and irritation to both the eyes and the respiratory tract are only two of the possible health effects of smoke inhalation. Kleinman’s research also focuses on discovering how diesel particles in vehicle exhaust from heavily trafficked freeways may affect the heart and brain. To interview Kleinman, contact Tom Vasich at 949-824-6455 or tmvasich@uci.edu.
