Smoke from forest fires and children’s health
Partnerships for public environmental education (PEPH)
Smoke from forest fires and children’s health
July 30, 2021
Interviewed: Stéphanie Holm, MD, Ph.D., MPH
In this podcast, Stephanie Holm, MD, Ph.D., discusses the health risks of children from exposure to wildfire smoke. She also offers advice to parents on how to keep children safe during a forest fire.
Smoke from forest fires and children’s health
Smoke from forest fires can travel long distances, exposing people near and far to poor air quality. Children are particularly vulnerable to the health effects of smoke from forest fires. This is because they breathe more air for their height, spend more time outdoors, and are more active than adults. In addition, they continue to grow and develop.
In this podcast, Stephanie Holm, MD, Ph.D., MPH, discusses the health risks of children from exposure to wildfire smoke. She also gives advice to pediatricians and parents on how to keep children safe during a forest fire.
Interviewee: Stephanie Holm, MD, Ph.D., MPH
Stephanie Holm, MD, Ph.D., MPH, is an environmental pediatrician and epidemiologist. She is the Co-Director of the United States Specialized Pediatric Environmental Health Unit (PEHSU) and works part-time at the California Environmental Protection Agency within the Office of Environmental Health Risk Assessment. . Holm’s research focuses on air pollution and children’s health. She is particularly interested in the health effects of smoke from forest fires on children and in public health strategies to protect children from such disasters.
Additional resources
- Read Trinka and Sam: the big fire, a children’s story from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. The story helps young children and their families talk about feelings and concerns they may have after experiencing a wildfire. The story is available in English and Spanish.
- Check Application Help children cope from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network which helps parents talk to their children about disasters and how to best support them.
- Listen to a PEPH 2020 podcast on urban forest fires and how these disasters affect individual and community health.
- Visit the Western States PEHSU Forest fires and children’s health to learn more about how to protect your family from wildfire smoke.
- Check Smoke detection app to get involved in a citizen science research project focused on public awareness and engagement about the health risks of forest fire smoke. The Smoke Sense study is conducted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.