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Written by Elizabeth Sorensen Montoya, Ph.D. University of Colorado Boulder  www.elizabethsorensenmontoya.com

If you live in the Eastern U.S. or the Midwest, you’ve probably spent the last few days breathing in that now-familiar sign of summer: Canadian wildfire smoke. But this isn’t just a North American problem. In recent years, wildfires have become more frequent, more intense, and harder to suppress. Because wildfire smoke can travel long distances, the health impacts often reach far beyond the burn zone.  

So, what does all this smoke actually mean for our health? 
 
As part of the Climate and Health Research Coordinating Center’s (CAFÉ RCC) State of the Science webinar series, Dr. Michael Brauer, professor at the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, delivered an excellent talk exploring just that. You can watch the full seminar here. 
 
Below is a quick, high-level overview of some key takeaways from the presentation: 

• The “new normal”: Wildfires are becoming more frequent, larger, and harder to suppress. Not only that, but they’ve begun to extend beyond what we have traditionally thought of as “fire season”, with smoke events occurring well outside traditional summer months. 

• Health impacts: The talk covered a wide range of health outcomes linked to wildfire smoke exposure, from respiratory and cardiovascular impacts to emerging evidence on effects like dementia, reduced cognitive performance, and ambulance dispatches. A particularly interesting piece of the talk focused on recent research into the delayed impacts of wildfire smoke. For example, one study by Landguth and colleagues shows that smoke exposure during the summer can increase the risk of flu during the following winter.  

• Looking ahead: Dr. Brauer talked about how wildfire smoke could change in the years to come, not only as a result of climate change but also our response to it. 

• What can be done? Dr. Brauer ended the talk by outlining several approaches for reducing exposure, from individual-level interventions to community-level planning and preemptive actions.  

The seminar is well worth watching in full. Dr. Brauer does a fantastic job of weaving together scientific evidence, real-world case studies, and forward-looking perspectives.  

As wildfires continue to affect communities around the world, it’s increasingly important to understand the health risks and how we might reduce them. Dr. Brauer’s talk is a great starting point for those curious about wildfire smoke and health and a valuable resource for those already working in that field.    

References: 

Brauer, M. (2024) Understanding the health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure. Presented as part of the CAFÉ RCC State of the Science webinar series, 15 May. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CViMQ-Xjuo 

Landguth, E.L., Holden, Z.A., Graham, J., Stark, B., Mokhtari, E.B., Kaleczyc, E., Anderson, S., Urbanski, S., Jolly, M., Semmens, E.O. and Warren, D.A., 2020. The delayed effect of wildfire season particulate matter on subsequent influenza season in a mountain west region of the USA. Environment international, 139, p.105668.