Cardiac Effects of Exposure to Melbourne Air Pollution caused by 2006/2007 Bushfires in Victoria

Chief Investigators

  • Prof Andrew Tonkin
  • Dr Martine Dennekamp
  • Dr Bircan Erbas (School of Public Health, La Trobe University)
  • Prof Malcolm Sim
  • Dr Deborah Glass

Funded by: NHMRC

Bushfires are expected to increase in the future. Therefore it is important to determine the potential impact this may have, so that appropriate measures can be taken. This project is investigating whether the Melbourne air pollution that was caused by the 2006/07 Victorian bushfires had an effect on the cardiac health of people living in Melbourne. Effects on the heart will be studied by looking at hospital admissions, heart attacks and death toll. The study aims to:

  • investigate the relationship between air pollution from the severe 2006/2007 bushfires and the effect on the cardiac health of people living in Melbourne, and
  • determine which particle size metric is most important in the relationship between bushfire smoke and health effects to aid in setting appropriate air quality standards.