Emergency Department Visits Rose During and After Aliso Canyon Gas Blowout
Emergency department (ED) visits saw a significant increase during and after the 2015–16 Aliso Canyon gas blowout, according to a new paper from the UCLA Aliso Canyon Disaster Health Research Study. Data indicated that people living downwind of the incident experienced 26 more ED visits per 1,000 residents, comparing the period before to during the disaster. This elevated rate of visits remained similarly high a year later.
Emergency department (ED) visits significantly increased during and after the 2015–16 Aliso Canyon gas blowout. This finding was revealed in a new paper published by the UCLA Aliso Canyon Disaster Health Research Study.
The study's data showed that individuals residing downwind of the blowout had an additional 26 emergency department visits per 1,000 residents. This increase was observed when comparing the period before the disaster to the period during the disaster.
This surge in ED use was recorded relative to the same timeframe in a demographically similar comparison community. The elevated rate of emergency department utilization persisted, remaining similarly high, for up to a year following the initial event.
According to Phys.org, these findings were part of research from the UCLA Aliso Canyon Disaster Health Research Study.
