Wildfire Smoke Effects on Public Health

Dear Colleagues,

Wildfires or wildland fires cover a range of non-urban fires, including uncontrolled forest fires, bushfires, biomass fires, prescribed and hazard reduction burns, agricultural burns, and landscape fires. Many of these fires are intensified by rising temperatures, especially during severely hot seasons, and constitute a significant and recurrent public health crisis that affects millions worldwide annually via the widespread emission of harmful substances. These extensive fires release a complex mixture of hazardous pollutants into the atmosphere, notably including substantial amounts of particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone, nitrogen and sulfur dioxides (NOx and SOx), metals, and other additional toxic compounds. Exposure to this toxic smoke plume and heatwave conditions presents considerable threats to both the immediate and long-term health and overall quality of life of impacted populations.

Exposure to wildfire smoke has been linked to a broad spectrum of health effects, ranging from respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms to emerging concerns related to neurological and perinatal health. Vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, pregnant individuals, those with pre-existing conditions, outdoor workers, and Indigenous communities, are particularly at risk.

The increasing global burden of wildfire smoke calls for a multidisciplinary approach that bridges environmental science, public health, epidemiology, toxicology, and public policy. Improved understanding of the health effects, mechanisms of harm, and mitigation strategies is urgently needed to inform public health preparedness, clinical management, and community resilience.

This timely Special Issue seeks to explore the intricate relationship between wildfires or bushfires, heatwaves, the deterioration of air quality, and their profound consequences on public health. We strongly encourage the submission of original research articles and state-of-the-art reviews that offer critical insights into environmental and occupational exposure data concerning health-relevant pollutants originating from wildfires or bushfires.

This Special Issue aligns strongly with Fire's mission to advance research on the science, policy, and management of fire. By emphasizing the human health dimension of wildfires, this Special Issue complements ongoing work on fire behavior, ecology, and mitigation strategies, therby offering an integrated view of fire’s broader societal consequences.

Suggested themes:

• Health impacts of acute and chronic wildfire smoke exposure.
• Epidemiological studies across diverse populations and regions.
• Biomarkers of exposure and effect (e.g., inflammation and oxidative stress).
• Mechanistic studies in cell and animal models.
• Occupational health impacts on firefighters, first responders, and outdoor workers.
• Mental health and psychosocial effects of wildfire events.
• Wildfire smoke and vulnerable populations (e.g., children, and elderly, Indigenous communities).
• Public health communication, risk mitigation, and community resilience.
• Advances in air quality monitoring, modeling, and exposure assessment.
• Changing fire regimes and long-term public health trends.

Prof. Dr. Anthony White
Dr. Kiam Padamsey
Dr. Luana Main
Prof. Dr. Chris R. Carlsten
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.