Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published information about certain life stages and populations that may be at greater risk of experiencing a health effect due to wildfire smoke exposure and may experience more severe effects.
The agency warns these at-risk populations should be particularly diligent about limiting exposure to wildfire smoke because evidence indicates that the risk of fine particle-related health effects varies throughout a lifetime.
EPA’s list of at-risk populations includes the following:
• People with asthma and other respiratory diseases - Air pollution, such as wildfire smoke, may not affect healthy people, but for people with chronic lung diseases, such as asthma and COPD, it can lead to breathing difficulties and trigger exacerbations of their disease.
• People with cardiovascular disease - Diseases of the circulatory system can put individuals at increased risk of cardiovascular-related events triggered by air pollutants.
• Children - All children, even those with no pre-existing illness or chronic conditions, are considered sensitive to air pollution, including wildfire smoke.
• Pregnant women - During pregnancy, physiologic changes, such as higher respiratory rates and increases in blood and plasma volumes, increases one’s vulnerability to environmental exposures. Additionally, during critical windows of human development, exposure to wildfire smoke may harm the developing fetus.
• Older adults - Older adults are at increased risk of health effects from short-term exposures to wildfire smoke because of their higher prevalence of pre-existing lung and heart diseases, and because important physiologic processes, including defense mechanisms, decline with age.
• People of low socio-economic status - Epidemiologic studies of fine particle pollution using indicators of socio-economic status provide initial evidence that in populations of low socio-economic status there may be an increased risk of mortality due to short-term exposures.
• Outdoor workers - Extended periods of time exposed to high concentrations of wildfire smoke could result in a range of health effects depending on the underlying health status of the worker.
These are just a few of the many things to know about wildfire smoke and the EPA’s at-risk groups. To learn more about this or other air quality, building science, environmental, health, or safety issues, please visit the websites shown on below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
CTSI ctsiweb.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine healthyindoors.com
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published information about certain life stages and populations that may be at greater risk of experiencing a health effect due to wildfire smoke exposure and may experience more severe effects.
The agency warns these at-risk populations should be particularly diligent about limiting exposure to wildfire smoke because evidence indicates that the risk of fine particle-related health effects varies throughout a lifetime.
EPA’s list of at-risk populations includes the following:
• People with asthma and other respiratory diseases - Air pollution, such as wildfire smoke, may not affect healthy people, but for people with chronic lung diseases, such as asthma and COPD, it can lead to breathing difficulties and trigger exacerbations of their disease.
• People with cardiovascular disease - Diseases of the circulatory system can put individuals at increased risk of cardiovascular-related events triggered by air pollutants.
• Children - All children, even those with no pre-existing illness or chronic conditions, are considered sensitive to air pollution, including wildfire smoke.
• Pregnant women - During pregnancy, physiologic changes, such as higher respiratory rates and increases in blood and plasma volumes, increases one’s vulnerability to environmental exposures. Additionally, during critical windows of human development, exposure to wildfire smoke may harm the developing fetus.
• Older adults - Older adults are at increased risk of health effects from short-term exposures to wildfire smoke because of their higher prevalence of pre-existing lung and heart diseases, and because important physiologic processes, including defense mechanisms, decline with age.
• People of low socio-economic status - Epidemiologic studies of fine particle pollution using indicators of socio-economic status provide initial evidence that in populations of low socio-economic status there may be an increased risk of mortality due to short-term exposures.
• Outdoor workers - Extended periods of time exposed to high concentrations of wildfire smoke could result in a range of health effects depending on the underlying health status of the worker.
These are just a few of the many things to know about wildfire smoke and the EPA’s at-risk groups. To learn more about this or other air quality, building science, environmental, health, or safety issues, please visit the websites shown on below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
CTSI ctsiweb.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine healthyindoors.com
