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A new report on air quality found that more than 4 in 10 people are breathing in unhealthy air, with the American Lung Association pointing to climate change as a driving factor. The report, which analyzes data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 2017, 2018 and 2019, also found people of color were 61% more likely to live in a county with unhealthy air than white people. (Hein, 4/22)

When the San Francisco Bay Area experienced a record 30 consecutive days of worrisome air quality alerts in August and September, Mary Prunicki began taking blood samples from firefighters. The sky had turned orange from nearby wildfires. Thousands of firefighters would spend months battling the blazes, which would eventually scorch more than 4 million acres and kill 31 people. (Chow, Patterson and Ryan, 4/23)

Wildfire smoke may not only be choking people’s lungs. It could also be irritating their skin, according to a new UCSF and UC Berkeley study published in JAMA Dermatology. Tiny particles floating in wildfire smoke can wreak havoc on the body, and it’s well documented that pollutants can trigger a scratchy throat, coughing fits or even a heart attack. Exposure to air pollutants contributed to 3.7 million to 4.8 million deaths across the globe in 2015. Previous research has found that skin conditions like eczema may be exacerbated by cigarette smoke or heavy air pollution in dense cities. Smoky days may also cause the skin to flare up. (McClurg, 4/22)

There is no data showing that suicides among adults and teens have increased in the country during the pandemic, but mental health workers in Washington, D.C., say they are seeing a notable increase in children who are experiencing anxiety, depression and loneliness. Children’s National doctors told D.C. Council members last month at an education hearing that its emergency rooms are experiencing an uptick of children with self-harm-related injuries. They are seeing children experiencing panic attacks and admitting more patients with eating disorders, the doctors said.

Recognizing that many Americans rely on texting, U.S. regulators are weighing whether to require that phone companies allow people to text a suicide hotline. The Federal Communications Commission last summer voted to require a new “988” number for people to call to reach a suicide-prevention hotline. Phone companies have until July 2022 to implement it. (Arbel, 4/22)

There hasn’t been much research examining the pandemic’s effect on panic attacks. But surveys have shown that Americans are experiencing elevated levels of stress and anxiety, which, experts say, could contribute to panic attacks. “Once the baseline levels of anxiety increase, if you think about it like a roller coaster, you’re that much closer to the top where you’re going to go over and go into a panic attack,” said Ludmila De Faria, chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Women’s Mental Health. (Chiu, 4/22)