How Wildfire Smoke Raises Infectious Disease Risk

As fires blanket growing swathes of the West, scientists are beginning to understand more about how their smoke affects the transmission and severity of COVID-19 and other illnesses, and how it differs from that of other types of air pollution.

Written byAmanda Heidt

| 11 min read

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Alongside a global pandemic that has killed millions, residents of the American West have for two consecutive summers confronted unprecedented wildfire seasons. So far this year, roughly 43,500 wildfires have charred more than 5 million acres, and fires continue to grow in frequency and intensity. With them come a number of human health concerns, including the risk that bodies worn down by exposure to smoke could more easily succumb to infectious diseases.

Teasing out the effects of wildfire smoke on health is both urgent and difficult. “With wildfires, we’re generally looking in the rearview mirror, looking retroactively,” says Sheryl Magzamen, a respiratory epidemiologist at Colorado State University. While air pollution from cars can be studied in real time by placing sensors near roads, she adds, wildfires are sporadic and unpredictable. “Where they are and when they happen and where the smoke goes is really complex.”

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Meet the Author

Amanda Heidt
Amanda first began dabbling in scicom as a master’s student studying marine science at Moss Landing Marine Labs, where she edited the student blog and interned at a local NPR station. She enjoyed that process of demystifying science so much that after receiving her degree in 2019, she went straight into a second master’s program in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Formerly an intern at The Scientist, Amanda joined the team as a staff reporter and editor in 2021 and oversaw the publication’s internship program, assigned and edited the Foundations, Scientist to Watch, and Short Lit columns, and contributed original reporting across the publication. Amanda’s stories often focus on issues of equity and representation in academia, and she brings this same commitment to DEI to the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains and to the board of the National Association of Science Writers, which she has served on since 2022. She is currently based in the outdoor playground that is Moab, Utah. Read more of her work at www.amandaheidt.com.
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