wildfire; forest fire; brush fire; wildland fire
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Etiology
- hydroclimate whiplash is a major contributor
Epidemiology
- wildfires are increasing in frequency & severity[1]
- regions of the world at greatest risk for an increase in wildfire impact include the Amazon basin, sub-Saharan Africa, Central & Southern Asia, Australia, Central America, & Western United States & Canada[18]*
- wildfire smoke may be transported at hazardous concentrations for thousands of kilometers[18]
* reference[18] shows a world map of potential wildfire risk
Pathology
- wildfires have significant adverse effects on human health through inhalation of air pollutants in wildfire smoke
- wildfires have significant adverse effects on pulmonary function[14]
- exposure to PM2.5 from wildfire smoke is particularly harmful
- decreases FVC & FEV1
- asthma exacerbations & COPD exacerbations
- increased airway inflammation
- increased emergency department visits 7 hospitalizations for respiratory conditions, particularly asthma & bronchitis during & after wildfires
- especially children, elderly, & persons with pre-existing respiratory conditions
- wildfires have significant adverse effects on cardiovascular health primarily through inhalation of air pollutants in wildfire smoke
- wildfire smoke is a key contributor to global fine particulate matter (PM2.5) the leading environmental risk factor for cardiovascular disease[18]
- short-term exposure to wildfire smoke increases risks of cardiovascular events, including emergency department visits, hospitalizations, & mortality for including acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, & stroke
- elderly & individuals with pre-existing conditions are especially vulnerable
- long-term exposure to wildfire smoke is associated with incident dementia[2]
- higher residential PM2.5 levels from wildfires is associated with higher risk of incident dementia[2]
Clinical manifestations
- Los Angeles County wildfire-associated emergency department visits in Jan 2025 mostly involved burns or eye-related symptoms[22]
More general terms
References
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 Tollefson J You're not imagining it: extreme wildfires are now more common. For the first time, data show that cataclysmic infernos are increasing in frequency and intensity globally. Nature News. June 24, 2024 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02071-8
Cunningham CX, Williamson GJ, Bowman DMJS. Increasing frequency and intensity of the most extreme wildfires on Earth. Nat Ecol Evol. 2024 Jun 24. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38914710 - ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 2.2 Wilker EH et al Ambient air pollution and clinical dementia: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2023;381:e071620 https://www.bmj.com/content/381/bmj-2022-071620
Zhang B, Weuve J, Langa KM et al Comparison of Particulate Air Pollution From Different Emission Sources and Incident Dementia in the US. JAMA Intern Med. Published online August 14, 2023. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37578757 PMCID: PMC10425875 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2808088
Putka S Dementia Incidence Tied to Long-Term Exposure to Wildfire Smoke. Study assesses risks for older adults in Southern California. MedPage Today, July 29, 2024 https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aaic/111270
Elser H, Frankland TB, Chen C et al Wildfire Smoke Exposure and Incident Dementia. JAMA Neurol. 2025 Jan 1;82(1):40-48. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39585704 PMCID: PMC11589856 (available on 2025-11-25) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2827124 - ↑ Melton CC, De Fries CM, Smith RM, Mason LR. Wildfires and Older Adults: A Scoping Review of Impacts, Risks, and Interventions. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jun 29;20(13):6252. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37444100 PMCID: PMC10341407 Free PMC article. Review. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/13/6252
- ↑ Liu D, Zhou C, Keesing JK et al Wildfires enhance phytoplankton production in tropical oceans. Nat Commun. 2022 Mar 15;13(1):1348. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35292644 PMCID: PMC8924273 Free PMC article https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29013-0
Tang W, Llort J, Weis J et al Widespread phytoplankton blooms triggered by 2019-2020 Australian wildfires. Nature. 2021 Sep;597(7876):370-375. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34526706 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03805-8 - ↑ Marris E. Hawaii wildfires: did scientists expect Maui to burn? Nature. 2023 Aug;620(7975):708-709. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37580550 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02571-z
- ↑ Hong JS, Hyun SY, Lee JH, Sim M. Mental health effects of the Gangwon wildfires. BMC Public Health. 2022 Jun 14;22(1):1183. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35701801 PMCID: PMC9195206 Free PMC article. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-13560-8
- ↑ Paul MJ, LeDuc SD, Boaggio K et al Effects of Air Pollutants from Wildfires on Downwind Ecosystems: Observations, Knowledge Gaps, and Questions for Assessing Risk. Environ Sci Technol. 2023 Oct 10;57(40):14787-14796. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37769297 PMCID: PMC11345788 Free PMC article. Review.
- ↑ Mahmoud H. The causes of wildfires are clear. How they burn through communities is not. Nature. 2023 Aug;620(7976):923. . PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37640822 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02687-2
- ↑ Ghodsi E, Aloosh M. Wildfire smoke. CMAJ. 2024 Jun 16;196(23):E789. doi:http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1503/cmaj.240135. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38885979 PMCID: PMC11182682 Free PMC article. https://www.cmaj.ca/content/196/23/E789.long
- ↑ Masri S, Shenoi EA, Garfin DR, Wu J. Assessing Perception of Wildfires and Related Impacts among Adult Residents of Southern California. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 1;20(1):815. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36613138 PMCID: PMC9820212 Free PMC article. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/1/815
- ↑ Hertelendy AJ, Howard C, Sorensen C et al Seasons of smoke and fire: preparing health systems for improved performance before, during, and after wildfires. Lancet Planet Health. 2024 Aug;8(8):e588-e602. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39122327 Free article. Review. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(24)00144-X/fulltext
- ↑ Yang CE, Fu JS, Liu Y, Dong X, Liu Y. Projections of future wildfires impacts on air pollutants and air toxics in a changing climate over the western United States. Environ Pollut. 2022 Jul 1;304:119213. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35351594
- ↑ Byrne B, Liu J, Bowman KW et al Carbon emissions from the 2023 Canadian wildfires. Nature. 2024 Sep;633(8031):835-839. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39198654 PMCID: PMC11424480 Free PMC article. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07878-z
- ↑ Jump up to: 14.0 14.1 Panumasvivat J, Sapbamrer R, Sittitoon N, et al Exploring the Adverse Effect of Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) on Wildland Firefighters' Pulmonary Function and DNA Damage. Scientific Reports. 2024;14(1):7932. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38575786 PMCID: PMC10994925 Free PMC article
- ↑ Jiao A, Headon K, Han T, Umer W, Wu J. Associations between short-term exposure to wildfire particulate matter and respiratory outcomes: A systematic review. Sci Total Environ. 2023 Oct 27:168134. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39491190 Free article. Review. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972306761X
- ↑ Wah W, Gelaw A, Glass DC et al Systematic review of impacts of occupational exposure to wildfire smoke on respiratory function, symptoms, measures and diseases. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2025 Jan;263:114463. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39332351 Free article. Review. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438463924001445
- ↑ Williams VA, Perreault LR, Yazbeck CT, et al. Impact of Wildfires on Cardiovascular Health. Circulation Research. 2024;134(9):1061-1082. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38662865 PMCID: PMC11270587 (available on 2025-04-26) Review.
- ↑ Jump up to: 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 Hadley MB, Henderson SB, Brauer M, Vedanthan R. Protecting Cardiovascular Health From Wildfire Smoke. Circulation. 2022;146(10):788-801 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36067276 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.058058
- ↑ Witze A Why Urban Fires Spread Fast - and how to slow them down. Nature 2025 637:1032-1033 Jan 30
Guo Y, Wan J. Ge Y et al Global expansion of wildland-urban interface intensifies human exposure to wildfire risk in the 21st century. Sci Adv. 2024 Nov 8;10(45):eado9587 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39514665 PMCID: PMC11546813 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ado9587 - ↑ Holder A, Sullivan A Wildland Fires: Emissions, Chemistry, Contamination, Climate, and Human Health. American Chemical Society https://pubs.acs.org/page/vi/wildland-fires
- ↑ Song F, Li T, Hur J et al Wildfire-Derived Pyrogenic Organic Matter Posing Overlooked Emerging Risks to Aquatic Ecosystems. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2024, 58, 26, 11209-11212 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.4c05412
- ↑ Jump up to: 22.0 22.1 Kajita E, Chang K, de Leon V, et al. Notes from the Field: Emergency Department Use During the Los Angeles County Wildfires, January 2025. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2025;74:40-42 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39913325 PMCID: PMC11801522 https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/wr/mm7403a2.htm
- ↑ Wildfires American Lung Association https://www.lung.org/clean-air/emergencies-and-natural-disasters/wildfires
United States Environmental Protection Agenecy (EPA) Health Effects Attributed to Wildfire Smoke https://www.epa.gov/wildfire-smoke-course/health-effects-attributed-wildfire-smoke