Fiery Effects of Wildfire Smoke Inhalation

Executive Summary

We will explore the effects on human health of inhaling wildfire smoke that includes incinerated plastics, which is a growing problem as the number of wildfires continues to increase due to climate change. Our findings will enhance our understanding of the health effects of fires on populations living around wildfire-prone areas, including neurological disease risk, systemic inflammation, the immune system profile, and the gut microbiome, and support efforts to facilitate innovative diagnostic and prognostic techniques that could prevent the development of degenerative and inflammatory disease states.