Health Impacts of F​​ire Smoke

The Environmental Health Investigations Branch has studied health impacts related to breathing wildfire and prescribed fire smoke. Fire smoke contains many air pollutants that are of concern for health, including particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and ozone. 

Particulate matter from wildfires has been linked to health problems, such as trouble breathing and asthma. People who are older, children, pregnant or who have heart or lung conditions are potentially most harmed by wildfire smoke.

For general CDPH guidance on wildfires, please visit ​Wildfires | CDPH Center for Preparedness and Response.​

Reports, Publications and Presentations

​Reports

Public Health Impact of Prescribed Fire (PHIRE) Study, Listening Session in Nevada and El ​Dorado Counties (2021)

• PHIRE Listening Sessions Brief Report (PDF)
  
• PHIRE Listening Sessions Full Report (PDF)
  

Publications and Presentations

• Health Impacts of Future Prescribed Fire Smoke: Considerations from an Exposure Scenario in California (2024)
• Responses to Wildfire and Prescribed Fire Smoke: A Survey of a Medically Vulnerable Adult Population in the Wildland-Urban Interface, Mariposa County, California (2023) 
• Projected smoke impacts from increased prescribed fire activity in California's high wildfire risk landscape (2023)
• Wildfires and the Changing Landscape of Air Pollution-related Health Burden in California (2022)
• Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests and Wildfire-Related Particulate Matter During 2015–17 California Wildfires (2020)
• ​​The San Diego 2007 wildfires and Medi-Cal emergency department presentations, inpatient hospitalizations, and outpatient visits: An observational study of smoke exposure periods and a bidirectional case-crossover analysis. (2018)
• ​Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Emergency Department Visits Associated With Wildfire Smoke Exposure in California in 2015. (2018)​
• Mortality during a Large-Scale Heat Wave by Place, Demographic Group, Internal and External Causes of Death, and Building Climate Zone (2016)
• Development of Methods to Connect Exposure to Wildland Fire Particulate Emissions to Health Outcomes: A Case Study from San Diego County. (2015 | PDF)
• ​​A simple method for estimating excess mortality due to heat waves, as applied to the 2006 California heat wave (2010)​

CDPH Resources

• Prescribed Fire, Smoke and Health​
• Wildfires | CDPH Center for Preparedness and Response​
• Wildfire Smoke: Considerations for California's Public Health Officials (20​22 | PDF)

External Resources

• ​Smoke Ready California | California Air Resources Board​
• ​ Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Health Officials | AirNow
  
• Wildfire Smoke | ​Listos California​​
• Wildfires | AirNow

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