Health Impacts of Wildland Fire Smoke

Dear Colleagues,

Forest fires are increasing in frequency, intensity, and duration due to climate change, resulting in unprecedented smoke exposure for millions globally. Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and toxic compounds that have severe respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and mental health impacts. The health burden extends beyond immediate fire zones, affecting populations hundreds of kilometers downwind, with particularly severe impacts on vulnerable populations including children, elderly, pregnant women, and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.​

This Special Issue aims to advance our understanding of the complex relationships between forest fire smoke exposure and human health outcomes through innovative methodologies combining geospatial analytics, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and epidemiological approaches. We invite original research and reviews addressing the following topics:

• Remote sensing and satellite monitoring of wildfire smoke dispersion and air quality​;
• Machine learning and AI models for wildfire smoke prediction and health risk assessment​;
• Geospatial modeling of smoke exposure and population health impacts​;
• Respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and mental health effects of wildfire smoke exposure​;
• Health disparities and vulnerable populations in wildfire-affected regions​;
• Occupational health of wildland firefighters and outdoor workers​;
• Public health interventions: air filtration, clean air spaces, and exposure mitigation strategies​;
• Long-term health outcomes of chronic wildfire smoke exposure​;
• Prenatal and pediatric health impacts of wildfire smoke​;
• Integration of Earth observation systems with health surveillance data​;
• Decision support systems for public health preparedness and emergency response​;
• Climate change projections and future wildfire-related health burdens​.

We encourage interdisciplinary submissions that leverage advanced computational methods, data fusion techniques, and novel analytical frameworks to address critical knowledge gaps in wildfire smoke and health research.

Dr. Hatef Dastour
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fire is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.