NPR

'Sadness, Guilt And Relief': Public Health Researcher Talks About Her Miscarriage During Australia W

Gemma Carey talks to us about having a miscarriage during the crisis and whether she still wants to have children.
Wildfires in Australia have killed at least 28 people and destroyed thousands of homes. (Siobhan Threlfall/AP)

As fires in Australia claimed thousands of homes and at least 28 lives, smoke became a pervasive part of everyday life.

But smoke doesn’t affect everyone equally. And vulnerable residents, such as the elderly and the sick, have faced additional risks from the smog that made its way into homes and even hospitals.

So did Gemma Carey’s unborn baby.

Carey, an associate professor at the University of New South Wales who studies public health, wrote about the dread of being pregnant under Canberra’s smoky, orange sky.

“I had been staying inside with the smoke, knowing all of the health risks for my baby,” she tells . As

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