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

Yijie Geng, Diana Ceballos and Karen Chen stand in front of a mountain slope and trees.

New DEOHS faculty tour Washington state

Three new DEOHS faculty connect with communities and their environmental health concerns on UW Faculty Field Tour

LEARN MORE
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

LEARN MORE
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

LEARN MORE
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

LEARN MORE
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

LEARN MORE
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

LEARN MORE

In the news

Dementia and air pollution: Is there a link?
March 21, 2025 | Neurology Advisor | Featured: Coralynn Sack View

Salt Lake's rising air pollution threat: Wildfire smoke and dementia
February 6, 2025 | Axios | Featured: Joan Casey View

Listener Picks: The lingering effects of wildfire smoke
February 6, 2025 | WAMU American University Radio | Featured: Joan Casey View

New research shows poor air quality could cause dementia
January 29, 2025 | KCBS Radio | Featured: Joan Casey View

The L.A. fires are contained, but the harm to people’s brains may linger
January 29, 2025 | The Washington Post | Featured: Joan Casey View