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

Three people stand in a gym near a whiteboard on a wall decorated with Native American art.

Making breathing room

Clean air shelters offer refuge from wildfire smoke. DEOHS is helping one NW tribe identify the best place to create one

LEARN MORE
A group of students and faculty pose for a photo.

Award-winning students

DEOHS students recognized for their research at the National Environmental Health Association conference

LEARN MORE
Woman smiling at camera.

Measuring the toll of wildfires

UW student-athlete goes deep inside communities affected by wildfire smoke to understand the health risks

LEARN MORE
Woman smiling at camera.

Omenn award winner

DEOHS student Annie Doubleday honored by the UW School of Public Health for her leadership potential and public health contributions

LEARN MORE
A group of people stand on a street wearing air masks and taking video on their cellphones.

Clearing the air

Public health experts and climate researchers convene to address communication challenges related to wildfire smoke

LEARN MORE
Smoky skies reduce visibility along a road in central Washington.

Let's talk about wildfire smoke and your health

Summer’s smoky skies prompt call from DEOHS researchers for better communication about health risks

LEARN MORE

In the news

Fuel to the fire: How climate change makes wildfire season worse
June 18, 2024 | MinnPost | Featured: Alison Cullen View

California wildfire smoke impacts Indigenous communities nearly 2x more than expected
March 1, 2024 | EcoWatch | Featured: Joan Casey View

Risk of wildfire smoke in long-term care facilities is worse than you'd think
January 22, 2024 | CBS News | Featured: Savannah D'Evelyn View

How wildfires can spread cancer-causing chemicals
December 12, 2023 | Washington Post | Featured: Joel D. Kaufman View

Study: Western U.S. wildfires undo 2 decades of air quality progress
December 4, 2023 | Axios | Featured: Jeremy J Hess View