Skip to main content

FRAMES logo
Resource Catalog

Document

Type: Journal Article
Author(s): Jooyeon Hwang; Ngee Sing Chong; Mengliang Zhang; Robert J. Agnew; Chao Xu; Zhuangjie Li; Xin Xu
Publication Date: 2023

As wildfire risks have elevated due to climate change, the health risks that toxicants from fire smoke pose to wildland firefighters have been exacerbated. Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has reclassified wildland firefighters’ occupational exposure as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1). Wildfire smoke contributes to an increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, yet wildland firefighters have inadequate respiratory protection. The economic cost of wildland fires has risen concurrently, as illustrated by the appropriation of $45 billion for wildfire management over FYs 2011–2020 by the U.S. Congress. Occupational epidemiological studies of wildland firefighters are crucial for minimizing health risks; however, they must account for the mixture of exposures in wildfire smoke. This review focuses on four aspects of wildland firefighters’ health risks at the wildland-urban interface: 1) economic costs and health impact, 2) respiratory protection, 3) multipollutant mixtures, and 4) proactive management of wildfires.

Online Links
Citation: Hwang, Jooyeon; Chong, Ngee-Sing; Zhang, Mengliang; Agnew, Robert J.; Xu, Chao; Li, Zhuangjie; Xu, Xin. 2023. Face-to-face with scorching wildfire: potential toxicant exposure and the health risks of smoke for wildland firefighters at the wildland-urban interface. The Lancet Regional Health - Americas 21:100482.

Cataloging Information

Regions:
Alaska    California    Eastern    Great Basin    Hawaii    Northern Rockies    Northwest    Rocky Mountain    Southern    Southwest    National
Keywords:
  • environmental health
  • exposure assessment
  • firefighter
  • multi-pollutant mixtures
  • occupational health
  • respiratory protection
  • wildfire
  • wildfire management
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 67852