Wildfires

DEOHS MS student, Lilian Liu was awarded the UW Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies' 2021-22 Washington State Labor Research Grant for the study, "Assessing Stakeholder Engagement in Labor Policy: T

 

Communities across the western United States experience hazardous smoke exposures from multiple fire sources. As wildfires become more frequent and severe, smoke exposures stemming from these fires are also worsening. Prescribed burning is a promising forest management strategy that can mitigate future wildfire risk, but also contributes to biomass burning emissions and human exposure impacts.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution is associated with excess morbidity and mortality and estimated to be the most important environmental risk factor for mortality globally. Ultrafine particles (UFPs) and PM2.5 from wildfire smoke (WFS), are both thought to be more toxic than ambient PM2.5.

Background The two main seasons with highest concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the state of Washington (WA) are wintertime and periods of wildfire smoke.

Background and Objectives: Dermal exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a likely pathway explaining elevated cancer risk in firefighters.

Pacific Northwest wildfire smoke events have been increasing in prevalence and severity over the past three decades, resulting in documented negative health outcomes in adults. However, when examining the effect of wildfire smoke on pediatric health, the literature is scarce.

Background: Particulate matter (PM)-related health effects have been studied extensively, yet wildfire smoke-specific PM health effects and its dose-response relationship have not reached a consensus due to variations in exposure scenarios and health outcome measurements.

Climate change is increasing the frequency, intensity, and duration of wildfires. To reduce personal exposure to wildfire smoke and resulting adverse health effects, N95 respirators are increasingly used by the general public to filter out fine particles (PM2.5) present in smoke.

Wildfire events are increasing in prevalence in the western United States. Research has found mixed results on the degree to which exposure to wildfire smoke increases the risk of mortality.