SynthesisInternational archives of occupational and environmental health2025
Non-respiratory health risks and mortality associated with fighting bushfires (wildfires): a systematic review.
Synthesis in International archives of occupational and environmental health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Counting the costs of injury and disease to first responders as a result of extreme bushfires.Scientific reports · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBushfires (also known as wildland or forest fires) expose emergency responders to occupational hazards under exceptional circumstances. Whilst the health impacts of structural firefighting have been studied, less is known about the non-respiratory health impacts or risk of mortality amongst bush firefighters, who can be volunteers. More information about health risks is needed to generate effective prevention strategies.
objectiveTo critically evaluate and synthesise the published evidence about the non-respiratory health risks and risk of mortality associated with bushfire fighting.
methodsA systematic literature search was conducted in Medline, Scopus, and Embase to identify studies evaluating morbidity or mortality or associated risk factors among bushfire fighters. The quality of included studies was evaluated twice independently using a specific quality assessment tool.
resultsTwenty-seven studies were included. 11(41%) were assessed as moderate quality and 16(59%) as low quality. There is a growing body of evidence for adverse short-term impacts of bushfire fighting on mental health and injuries. Linkage studies showed that volunteer firefighters had lower mortality and cancer risk in their late forties compared to the general population.
conclusionMost studies relied on cross-sectional and retrospective designs without comparison groups, limiting the ability to draw robust conclusions. It is essential to conduct higher-quality research using prospective designs and longer-term follow-up to better understand the health outcomes of bushfire fighting, particularly given the anticipated increase in the frequency and severity of bushfires.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.