The health effects of wildfire smoke

Worker approaches a blazing wildfire in a forest.

DEOHS wildfire experts are investigating how smoke affects our health and strategies to reduce its impacts

 

DEOHS wildfire smoke experts were featured in a recent webinar hosted by the UW School of Public Health

Wildfires are natural and inevitable in our forestlands. Climate change is making our wildfire seasons longer, hotter and more dangerous.

The UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) has a long history of leading research into the impacts of wildfires on human health.

Through our research and outreach activities, DEOHS faculty and students are building our understanding of how wildfire smoke can damage our health and the best ways to protect people and communities from harm.

Learn about our impact, research and expertise below.

Our impact

Hazy skies with a halo around the sun above mountains, evergreens and a hillside.

DEOHS targets emerging health threats with new population health awards

DEOHS researchers and partners awarded grants to tackle extreme cold, sea level rise, combined heat and smoke, and zoonotic disease

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An oil drilling rig backlit by smoky skies at sunset with windmills in the background.

Wildfires increasingly threaten oil and gas drill sites

Some 3 million people could face compounded health risks in coming decades as a result, according to new study

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Hannah McKinley smiles in front of a bush on the UW campus.

From the ‘COVID years’ to belonging

Hannah McKinley named 2024 DEOHS Outstanding Undergraduate Student

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Wildfire smoke behind a mountainous landscape with fields in the foreground.

Indigenous communities in California are disproportionately exposed to wildfire smoke

DEOHS faculty member Joan Casey and colleagues assess long-term exposures to wildfire smoke with an environmental justice lens

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Smoky skies over the buildings, bridges and river of Spokane, Washington.

Preparing Washington’s second largest city for wildfire season

DEOHS researchers partner with Gonzaga University and others to make Spokane “smoke ready” with $1.1 million EPA grant

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A woman in a hard hat, safety jacket and gloves sets fire to a pile of brush with trees in the background.

Prescribed burning reduces wildfire smoke impacts

DEOHS-led research helps California forest managers assess smoke hazards from prescribed burns

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In the news

Study links wildfire smoke and dementia risk. What does it mean for the North?
December 19, 2024 | Yukon News | Featured: Joan Casey View

Breathing wildfire smoke may greatly increase the risk of dementia
December 11, 2024 | Consumer Affairs | Featured: Joan Casey View

Wildfire smoke exposure and dementia risk
December 10, 2024 | National Institutes of Health | Featured: Joan Casey View

How wildfires may lead to higher rates of dementia
December 5, 2024 | KUOW | Featured: Joan Casey View

Wildfire smoke increases risk of dementia, UW study finds
November 27, 2024 | The Seattle Times | Featured: Joan Casey View