Large forest fires in the western United States have been more frequent in recent years and many have been much more devastating. With a changing climate this is likely to continue or worsen.  Because children breathe more air per minute than adults, and have lungs that are still developing, they are especially vulnerable to health effects during wildfires, especially children that are very young or who already have respiratory diseases.  Below are resources for further exploring wildfire and air quality data as well as associated health effects.

Resources created by WSPEHSU on Wildfire Smoke

NEW! A Story of Health: Sofia’s Story
Check out our new multimedia e-book chapter on wildfire. Get CE credit while you learn about wildfire smoke exposures and how to prepare your patients and your office.

Infographics on Wildfire Smoke:

Short Informational Documents on Wildfire Smoke:

Scientific Paper by WSPEHSU on Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke in Children:

WSPEHSU staff (Stephanie Holm, MD, MPH; Mark Miller, MD, MPH; and John Balmes, MD) are authors of  Health effects of wildfire smoke in children and public health tools: a narrative review, a scientific paper on wildfire smoke and children’s health published by the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. 

WSPEHSU’s Dr. Stephanie Holm is interviewed on Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke in Children:

Wildfire Smoke and Children’s Health NIEHS Podcast
Dr. Stephanie Holm is interviewed by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) on children’s health risks from wildfire smoke exposure where she offers advice to parents on how to keep kids safe during a wildfire event. Listen here!

En español – Recursos creados por WSPEHSU sobre el humo de incedios forestales:

Short informational video on what you can do to reduce wildfire smoke exposure for kids.

Breve video informativo sobre lo que puede hacer para reducir la exposición de los niños al humo de incendios forestales.

Other Helpful Resources:

Recursos en español: