Parents in Australia and California are questioning whether exposure to wildfire smoke during pregnancy contributed to health issues in their children. Recent fires produced unprecedented pollution levels that affected urban populations far from the flames.
Anneke French, a nurse in Canberra, experienced a placental abruption at 35 weeks during Australia's Black Summer in 2019-2020. Her daughter Margot was born early and underweight, and later developed asthma and eczema. French and her obstetrician Stephen Robson noted smoke penetrating hospital rooms during deliveries that summer.
