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

A woman looks on as a boy blows into a respiratory monitoring device.

DEOHS collaborations explore child health and socioecological conflict

DEOHS and partners examine “healthy home” solutions in Yakima Valley and ecosystem-health links in Brazil with awards from UW Population Health Initiative

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Photo of downtown Seattle, I-5 and surrounding neighborhoods on a smoky day.

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Three youth volunteers from Duwamish Valley Youth Corps smile wearing yellow safety vests, two giving a thumbs up, in a Duwamish Valley neighborhood in Seattle.

Empowering youth to seek climate solutions in their communities

DEOHS and Duwamish River Community Coalition join new program engaging Latino and Indigenous youth in community climate impacts

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Collage of two images: on left, wildfire smoke and fire in a Washington forest; on right, five farmworkers harvest lettuce in the heat under a canopy with hats and scarves.

Wildfire smoke and extreme heat projects win population health awards

DEOHS researchers and partners tackle health impacts of smoke and heat with new grants from UW Population Health Initiative

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A table of seven farmworkers and a child sit in the foreground having a discussion, with other tables of people in the background.

Supporting farmworker families through smoke season

Our PNASH Center and Wenatchee CAFÉ host community events to understand the concerns of farmworker parents

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Claire Schollaert sits on a bench on the UW campus.

Protecting communities while reducing wildfire risk

DEOHS PhD student wins Castner Award to support air quality research on prescribed burns

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In the news

Exposure to wildfire smoke is linked with higher risk of dementia, UW study shows
January 3, 2025 | Oregon Public Broadcasting | Featured: Joan Casey View

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