Coralynn Sack

Read the full UW news release

Breathing wildfire smoke poses a health risk to people of all ages, not just young children and older adults, according to new research from the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) and colleagues at Seattle Children’s.

Dorian Kenleigh MPH, Occupational and Environmental Medicine Hometown Pittsburgh, PA Future plans Continuing to advocate for workers, such as in the cannabis industry as a medical consultant.

In 2021, the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) welcomed new faculty, forged collaborations in climate and health, and continued our innovative, community-oriented environmental health research on areas including air pollution, COVID-19 and the far-reaching health impacts of wildfire smoke across Washington state. Explore our top stories below.

Breathing wildfire smoke isn’t just unhealthy—it can be deadly. DEOHS works with partners across the Northwest to get the word out to those most at risk.

Coralynn Sack joined the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences and the Department of Medicine in 2018. She is a physician-scientist with clinical and research expertise in environmental and occupational lung disease. She received her MD from the University of Buffalo and MPH in epidemiology from the UW.

Legal marijuana is one of America’s fastest-growing industries, yet little research exists on the unique workplace and health risks faced by cannabis workers.

Background: Within six weeks of the first case of COVID-19 in early Dec 2019 in Wuhan, China, the pandemic had already a foothold half-way around the world in Washington State, where the the first case of COVID-19 in the United States was confirmed on 20 Jan 2020 in a traveler returning from the index city.

Introduction: The expansion of the U.S. cannabis industry has created thousands of new jobs in cultivation, processing and distribution. While little is known about occupational hazards in the Cannabis industry, pilot studies suggest an increased risk of respiratory exposures and associated adverse health outcomes, including immunologic sensitization to Cannabis.

Rationale: Approximately 31% of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is caused by vapor, gas, dust and fumes (VGDF). In collaboration with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention Program, we report a new algorithm for surveillance of Occupational COPD.

Introduction: Air pollution is a significant contributor to adverse health outcomes in humans around the world. Particulate matter has been linked to numerous cardiovascular, pulmonary and neurological diseases and associated with increased systemic inflammation and direct cellular toxicity.