Jiayun Yao

Apr 1, 2024 | bcmj.org | Sarah Henderson |Phuong Nguyen |Phương Nguyên |Jiayun Yao |Michael Lee

When the BCCDC presents on the public health impacts of wildfire smoke, we often ask audiences to consider the following question: If there are 10 asthma-related physician visits on a slightly smoky day, how many occur on a day with 10 times as much smoke? Based on epidemiologic evidence, the answer is about 20 [Figure]. Based on human intuition, however, the most common response is 100. This is true even among professionals who are trained in environmental public health.