The Effects of Wildfire Smoke on Asthma and Allergy

• Published in: Current allergy and asthma reports Vol. 23; no. 7; pp. 375 - 387
• Main Authors: Noah, Terry L., Worden, Cameron P., Rebuli, Meghan E., Jaspers, Ilona
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.07.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - adverse effects; Air pollution; Allergies; Allergology; Animals; Asthma; Asthma - etiology; Biomass energy; Climate change; Disease; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mortality; Nose - chemistry; Otolaryngology; Outdoor air quality; Particulate Matter - adverse effects; Smoke - adverse effects; Topical Collection on Allergies and the Environment; Wilderness areas; Wildfires; Wildfire smoke; Allergy; Wood smoke; Asthma
• ISSN: 1529-7322; 1534-6315; 1534-6315
• DOI: 10.1007/s11882-023-01090-1

Purpose of Review To review the recent literature on the effects of wildfire smoke (WFS) exposure on asthma and allergic disease, and on potential mechanisms of disease. Recent Findings Spatiotemporal modeling and increased ground-level monitoring data are allowing a more detailed picture of the health effects of WFS exposure to emerge, especially with regard to asthma. There is also epidemiologic and some experimental evidence to suggest that WFS exposure increases allergic predisposition and upper airway or sinonasal disease, though much of the literature in this area is focused more generally on PM 2.5 and is not specific for WFS. Experimental evidence for mechanisms includes disruption of epithelial integrity with downstream effects on inflammatory or immune pathways, but experimental models to date have not consistently reflected human disease in this area. Summary Exposure to WFS has an acute detrimental effect on asthma. Potential mechanisms are suggested by in vitro and animal studies.