Wildland Fire Smoke: Impacts on Air Quality and Public Health

This is an invited presentation to students in the Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment in the graduate class ENV605/GLHTH605: Air Quality Management: Linking Science to Policy. This presentation will provide students with an overview of the current wildfire landscape and its implications on air quality and public health. It will also summarize current understanding of the health effects attributed to wildfire smoke exposure, the role of prescribed fire in trying to combat the wildfire crisis, and the actions and interventions that can be instituted to reduce wildfire and prescribed fire smoke exposure and protect public health. 

Impact/Purpose

This invited presentation to graduate students at Duke University in the Nicholas School of the Environment will provide them with an introduction to the growing public health threat of wildland fire smoke. It will provide them with an overview of the health implications of smoke exposure and the actions and interventions that can be taken to reduce smoke exposure and protect public health. Additionally, the presentation will discuss the role of prescribed fire in addressing the wildfire crisis and the opportunity it presents to prepare individuals and communities for smoke exposure. 

Citation

Sacks, J. Wildland Fire Smoke: Impacts on Air Quality and Public Health. ENV605/GLHTH605: Air Quality Management: Linking Science to Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, October 16, 2025.