Introduction

Wildland fires are having an increasing impact on air quality and human health in the western United States and many other parts of the world (Jia et al., 2019; Nolte et al., 2018). Climate change is resulting in hotter, drier conditions which, combined with a history of fire suppression and a buildup of fuels in many areas, are driving more fires, larger fires, and more severe fires that burn greater amounts of fuel over longer periods. These conditions put people at risk of exposure not only to the fire itself but also to the health effects of exposure to fire emissions, which can travel thousands of miles and affect millions of people.

The increasing wildland fire problem is highly complex and interdisciplinary in research scope, yet understanding this problem is critical to mitigating smoke health risks. The atmospheric chemistry community is working to improve the accuracy of forecasting smoke as well as to understand factors influencing smoke chemistry, transport, and changes over time. These areas can be difficult to disentangle, and they rely on a variety of tools to capture various spatial and temporal scales. From the human health perspective, there is growing knowledge of the influence of smoke exposure on acute effects, which can span from respiratory to cardiac effects, to birth outcomes and others. Different degrees of vulnerability also factor into impacts. Exposure to lengthy smoke events and effects of long-term or repeat exposure remain understudied. Applying current research understanding to actions that mitigate exposure relies on actionable information and effective communication of risks.

The Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, in collaboration with the Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology, convened a workshop on September 23-25, 2020, to bring together atmospheric chemistry and health research communities, managers, and decision makers to discuss knowledge and needs surrounding how wildfire emissions, or effluent, affect air quality and human health. The workshop was structured around three interdisciplinary sessions centered on current and forward-looking questions:¹

1. Where are we now? This session explored the current state of the science and communication around atmospheric chemistry and transport of fire emissions, forecasting, measurement tools, and smoke health effects.
2. Where do we want to be? This session focused on what is needed on the ground and how that translates into primary research needs within the atmospheric chemistry and health communities to better protect air quality and human health.
3. How do we get there? This session explored how to improve the production and exchange of information about air quality and health effects between atmospheric and health communities and, more broadly, while looking toward future needs and capabilities for research and mitigation of health impacts.

The health implications of poor air quality from wildland fire explored at this workshop are just a few of many impacts fire has on society. Other impacts not discussed in detail include effects on water quality, climate change, and land cover, among others.

___________________

¹ See Appendix C for the full workshop agenda.

Funding for this workshop was provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Science Foundation through the core sponsorship provided to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate. This proceedings has been prepared by the workshop rapporteur as a factual summary of what occurred at the workshop. The planning committee’s role was limited to planning and convening the workshop. The views contained in this proceedings are those of individual workshop participants and do not necessarily represent the views of all workshop participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies.