Wildfire Exposure and Human Health: A Multidisciplinary Perspective

Dear Colleagues,

Wildfires are an escalating global hazard with profound implications for human health. In addition to the well-established impacts of wildfire-related air pollution, wildfire exposure encompasses a range of interconnected stressors, including extreme heat, direct proximity to active fires, population displacement, disruption of critical infrastructure, and psychosocial stress. Climate change, land-use change, and expanding human settlement in fire-prone landscapes have increased the frequency, intensity, and duration of wildfire events, amplifying both exposure levels and health risks worldwide. Scientific evidence increasingly links wildfire exposure to a wide spectrum of adverse health outcomes. These include acute exacerbations of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, neurological and cognitive effects, adverse reproductive outcomes, and significant mental health impacts. Health risks are unevenly distributed across populations, with firefighters and other outdoor workers experiencing high occupational exposure, and vulnerable groups—such as children, older adults, pregnant individuals, and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities—bearing disproportionate health burdens. Despite rapid growth in this research field, substantial gaps remain in understanding cumulative and long-term health effects, interactions between multiple exposure pathways, and the capacity of health systems to respond effectively to wildfire-related health challenges.

The aim of this Special Issue is to advance scientific understanding of the relationships between wildfire exposure and human health through a multidisciplinary and human-centred perspective. The Special Issue aligns directly with the scope of Fire by addressing the human dimensions of wildfires, including exposure pathways, health impacts, vulnerability, and response mechanisms associated with wildfire events. By integrating fire-related exposure contexts with epidemiological, clinical, and social science research, this Special Issue seeks to bridge fire science and health disciplines. It provides a forum for studies examining how wildfire characteristics, exposure intensity and duration, and mitigation and response strategies influence health outcomes, health system performance, and societal resilience. The Special Issue complements existing fire-focused research by emphasizing health impacts and public health relevance within the broader framework of wildfire science, risk management, and adaptation.

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles, systematic and scoping reviews, methodological studies, and policy- or practice-oriented contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Human exposure pathways related to wildfires, including air pollution, heat stress, and direct fire proximity (studies in humans, animals, and/or cell cultures).
• Acute and chronic health effects of wildfire exposure, including respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, reproductive, and mental health outcomes.
• Occupational exposure and health risks among firefighters and other fire-related workers.
• Health impacts on vulnerable and susceptible populations, including children, older adults, pregnant individuals, and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.
• Mental health, psychosocial stress, displacement, and community well-being associated with wildfire events.
• Health system preparedness, emergency response, healthcare utilization, and economic costs related to wildfire exposure.
• Multidisciplinary approaches integrating fire science, epidemiology, clinical research, and social sciences.

This Special Issue aims to strengthen the evidence base supporting effective interventions, policies, and resilience strategies to reduce the health burden of wildfires under intensifying global fire regimes.

Dr. Bela Barros
Dr. Marta Oliveira
Guest Editors

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.

• wildfire health impacts
• community impacts
• occupational health
• health risk communication
• environmental health
• biomarkers