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

A traffic sign is partially submerged in flood waters.

Preparing the Northwest for disasters

CDC funds UW to take first steps toward regional public health emergency preparedness center

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A large home sits in the foreground with wildfire and smoke on the hillside behind it.

Wildfire smoke tied to increased risk of ER visits

DEOHS-led research finds people of all ages at increased risk of emergency room visits following wildfire smoke exposure

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Joan Casey sits at a wood table outside on the UW campus with trees in the background.

Seeking sustainability and environmental justice

New DEOHS faculty member Joan Casey uses big data to analyze population-scale health problems and solutions

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Claire Schollaert stands on the UW campus in front of trees and a metal sculpture.

Mitigating the health threats of wildfire smoke

Claire Schollaert, the 2023 DEOHS Outstanding PhD Student, shows how forest management can improve community health by reducing wildfires

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Utility workers in cherry pickers work on electrical power lines.

These four regions of the US are hardest hit by power outages

Prolonged power outages plague regions already facing climate and social vulnerability, new study shows

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A woman looks on as a boy blows into a respiratory monitoring device.

DEOHS collaborations explore child health and socioecological conflict

DEOHS and partners examine “healthy home” solutions in Yakima Valley and ecosystem-health links in Brazil with awards from UW Population Health Initiative

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In the news

In a hotter world, some people age faster, researchers find
August 25, 2025 | The New York Times | Featured: Kristie L. Ebi View

New studies tie unrecognized deaths and health problems to Maui and LA wildfires
August 6, 2025 | ABC News | Featured: Kristie L. Ebi View

How to limit smoke exposure through wildfire season
August 5, 2025 | KIRO 7 | Featured: Coralynn Sack View

Wildfire smoke settles over Seattle, impacts air quality in western Washington
August 5, 2025 | FOX 13 Seattle | Featured: Coralynn Sack View

Plan now to reduce wildfire smoke exposure
August 4, 2025 | UW Medicine | Featured: Coralynn Sack View