Wildfire Smoke

Every summer, thousands of wildland firefighters endure months of heavy exposure to smoke and other toxins without respiratory protection. As a troubling picture of the health implications emerges, policies are beginning to change.

New research shows that wildfires are a major contributor to ozone pollution, and can significantly exceed the impacts of human-generated emissions.

In recent months, concern about the health risks wildland firefighters face has been growing. Now a major conference exploring that issue has started in Colorado.

The federal government has issued new guidelines to wildland firefighters for the voluntary use of protective masks. The move comes as knowledge of long-term health risks faced by such workers – including cancer – grows.

More hot days and more smoky days are affecting our children's health now and in the future.

The National Firefighter Registry is perhaps the most ambitious effort to date to understand the connection between firefighting and cancer.

Over the last few years, more information has come out about the long-term health risks of wildland firefighting, which most recently has included carcinogen exposure.

Researchers pored over roughly four dozen papers that assessed exposure to various carcinogens on the fireline. They identified 31 carcinogens – including asbestos, volatile organic compounds like benzene and crystalline silica.

It’s not your imagination. Air quality experts say wildfire smoke has been worse than usual this summer in Idaho.

The University of California Davis Health system has developed a system to identify such at-risk patients and ensure they have access to care during heavy smoke events. Researchers there are calling for other health systems in smoke-impacted communities to adopt a similar approach.