Feature-Faculty

Colleen Reid in The Conversation: Yes, breathing wildfire smoke can harm your health – here’s what you can do to protect yourself

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 19:17:27 +0000

Colleen Reid in The Conversation: Yes, breathing wildfire smoke can harm your health – here’s what you can do to protect yourself Gabriela Rocha Sales Tue, 07/28/2026 - 13:17

Colleen E. Reid

This article has been copied from The Conversation for archival purposes.

Wildfire smoke from fires burning in Canada and northern Minnesota has been pouring across the Great Lakes and northeastern U.S. states, turning skies an eerie shade of orange. In the West, smoke has also been spreading into communities in Colorado and neighboring states as more wildfires burn in hot, dry conditions in July 2026.

University of Colorado environmental health researcher Colleen Reid explains what’s in that smoke and why breathing it is a health concern everyone should be aware of.

What is in wildfire smoke?

Wildfire smoke is a complex mixture that includes nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and particulate matter. When homes or buildings also burn, they can release an even more toxic stew of chemicals from burning electronics, furniture, plastics, paints and much more.

What you see when you see a smoke plume or when the air is hazy with wildfire smoke are the tiny particles that are too small to fall to the ground right away with gravity.

These particles, which scientists call particulate matter, are very small – we measure them in microns. When you breathe them in, they can harm your health. The smaller the particles, the deeper they can get into your lungs and body.

You may have heard the term PM2.5. It means particles that are 2.5 microns or smaller in diameter, many times smaller than the width of a human hair. High concentrations of these particles in the air during wildfire smoke episodes are what trigger air quality alerts.

Has wildfire smoke been increasing recently, and why?

Yes, wildfires have become more frequent and more intense just in the past couple of decades, and when wildfires become more frequent and intense, so does the smoke.

Scientists have found that wildfires are becoming more frequent due to a variety of factors that include increases in fire weather – hot, dry, windy conditions that fuel the spread of fires due to climate change – as well as other natural and human factors. The reasons for the increases in wildfires vary in different parts of the world.

Other studies have found that wildfire smoke makes up an increasing portion of the PM2.5 in the air in the U.S., and in many areas it is offsetting the decreases in air pollution that the U.S. has gained through regulations of industrial and vehicle emissions under the Clean Air Act.

How could wildfire smoke affect my health?

Some effects of breathing wildfire smoke include shortness of breath, coughing, itchy or watery eyes, headaches, rashes and itchiness. But smoke can cause more serious harm. Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that hospitalizations and emergency department visits for asthma and other respiratory diseases increase during wildfire smoke events.

After you breathe in the particles, they cause inflammation and oxidative stress, and they can move into the blood and spread throughout the body, affecting other organ systems.

Breathing wildfire smoke has been associated with higher risk of preterm births and other issues during pregnancy, and potentially cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks and strokes, although the evidence for these effects are more mixed.

The longer-term health effects of wildfire smoke are less clear, but it is a growing area of research.

Where can I learn more about wildfire smoke risks where I live?

The first thing to do to protect yourself from wildfire smoke is to know how bad the smoke is and how long it is going to last.

One great place to get information for where you live on current wildfire smoke is fire.airnow.gov. You can zoom in on the map to where you live and find color-coded circles reflecting data from both U.S. EPA air-quality monitors and PurpleAir sensors that people have put in their homes.

The colors show the level of PM2.5 at that location and suggest the associated health risk.

To find out how wildfire smoke is expected to change over time in North America, you can look at maps from FireSmoke Canada and the U.S. Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program.

What can I do to protect myself and my family from wildfire smoke?

First of all, depending on the level of the air quality index where you are, there are different recommendations. When wildfire smoke reaches unhealthy levels, stay indoors as much as possible, with doors and windows shut to keep the wildfire smoke out.

If you have an air cleaner, use it, but check the filter, as filters can fill up quickly. Similarly, check the filter on your home HVAC system and replace it if needed.

If you have to go outside, consider wearing a well-fitting N95, KN95 or KF94 mask. These masks can protect you from inhaling particles in the air around you. Looser masks, such as surgical masks, mostly protect others from what you breathe out instead. They do not have a tight seal around your mouth, and when you breathe in, the air with all of the particles can find its way around the sides of the mask.

Having a tight fit of the mask to your face is important so that when you breathe, the air is going through the mask and capturing the smoke particles rather than letting them into your body where they cause harm.

If your home is leaky and you can see haze inside, consider going to a public space, such as a library or mall, with a good HVAC system. Some municipalities have designated clean air spaces where anyone can go.

Wildfire smoke from fires burning in Canada and northern Minnesota has been pouring across the Great Lakes and northeastern U.S. states, turning skies an eerie shade of orange...

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Jennifer Balch and Environmental Data Science Innovation & Impact Lab (ESIIL) are launching the Fast Fire Network

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:34:44 +0000

Jennifer Balch and Environmental Data Science Innovation & Impact Lab (ESIIL) are launching the Fast Fire Network Gabriela Rocha Sales Thu, 07/09/2026 - 11:34

Dr. Jennifer Balch, Director of the Environmental Data Science Innovation & Impact Lab (ESIIL), CIRES Fellow, and Professor of Geography at the �ֲ��ý, is leading an NSF-funded FIRE-NET project to create the Fast Fire Network to develop urgently needed solutions for fast-moving fire events across the US West. An emphasis will be placed on using innovative AI tools to leverage the big data revolution to explore the topics of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability as they relate to fast fires.

The goal of this network is to bring together fire scientists, social scientists, data scientists, practitioners, and industry partners to develop urgently needed solutions for fast fire events.

If you are interested in contributing to the Fast Fire Network, please complete this form. For more information visit the Balch Fire Lab and ESIIL websites.

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John O'Loughlin in The Conversation: We asked Ukrainians what they think of Trump – more view him as an enemy than a friend

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:47:02 +0000

John O'Loughlin in The Conversation: We asked Ukrainians what they think of Trump – more view him as an enemy than a friend Gabriela Rocha Sales Thu, 07/09/2026 - 07:47

U.S. President Donald Trump lauded the “very good relationship” he has developed with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the NATO summit in Turkey on July 8, 2026...

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Ellen Considine: Indonesia’s air quality got worse after China banned plastic waste imports

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:42:03 +0000

Ellen Considine: Indonesia’s air quality got worse after China banned plastic waste imports Gabriela Rocha Sales Tue, 06/02/2026 - 13:42

Brigitta Rongstad Strong

Copied from the original for archival purposes.

Written by Brigitta Rongstad Strong

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Indonesia’s air quality got worse after China banned plastic waste imports

New research links a global waste policy shift to increased air pollution from open burning at Indonesian dump sites

When China banned plastic waste imports in 2018, countries like the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, and Japan didn’t stop exporting plastic waste — they diverted their shipments to countries in Southeast Asia.

New research led by CIRES Fellow Ellen Considine shows that air pollution in Indonesia worsened in 2018 and 2019, when the country began receiving some of the plastic waste that previously went to China. Municipal waste collection is limited in Indonesia and open burning of solid waste is common.

The work, published today in the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society - Series C: Applied Statistics, highlights a recurring environmental justice issue: wealthy nations exporting pollution and the consequences in lower-income countries with less capacity to refuse or manage it.

“When high-income countries ship plastic waste to low- and middle-income countries, more plastic waste tends to be burned,” said Considine, who is also an assistant professor of Geography at CU �ֲ��ý. “This releases air pollutants that can cause respiratory disease, cancer, or even death to local residents.”

Considine and her co-author, Rachel Nethery from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, leveraged satellite data to evaluate changes in fine particulate matter at 356 open dump sites in Indonesia before and after China’s ban on plastic waste imports. Fine particulate matter is the air pollutant of greatest concern for human health because it consists of particles small enough to penetrate human lungs and enter the bloodstream.

“Previous studies of the impact of plastic waste burning on air quality have been more localized, for instance by deploying an air quality monitor in a couple of locations for a few months,” Considine said. “Our approach is powerful because it allows us to look at air pollution changes over a large study region and time period and identify a connection to plastic waste imports.”

The team used advanced statistical methods to determine how much of the increase in air pollution was due to China’s policy change and waste burning versus other factors that vary over time, like weather.

The results suggest the policy change and waste burning caused an average 3.3 percent increase in fine particulate matter at open waste dump sites in Indonesia in 2018 and 2019 compared to 2012 to 2017. The potential health impacts are significant; the increase in fine particulate matter corresponds with an approximate 1.9 percent increase in mortality risk from lung cancer and a 3.5 percent increase in mortality risk from lower respiratory infections.

“Methods like this, for evaluating the impact of policies, have historically been developed by economists but have more recently been adapted by public health and environmental scientists,” Considine said.

The analysis reveals a potential chain reaction after China’s ban: some of the plastic waste that used to end up in China was diverted to Indonesia, leading to more open dumping and burning of plastic waste, which generated more fine particulate matter air pollution.

Considine and Nethery’s work supports recent decisions by Indonesia and Malaysia, another country impacted by China’s policy change, to ban plastic waste imports. The team’s approach can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of these and future policies related to plastic waste and open burning.

“I am inspired by stories of air pollution research being used to inform policy decisions, ” Considine said. “Efforts like ours help fill critical evidence gaps in places and for applications with more limited data.”

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Assitant Professor Isaac Rivera Receives Research & Innovation Office (RIO) Arts & Humanities Grant

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Thu, 14 May 2026 20:38:25 +0000

Assitant Professor Isaac Rivera Receives Research & Innovation Office (RIO) Arts & Humanities Grant Gabriela Rocha Sales Thu, 05/14/2026 - 14:38

Congratulations our Geography Assistant Professor, Isaac Rivera, for receiving one of the Research & Innovation Office's (RIO) Arts & Humanities Grants!

Dr. Rivera's project is titled, "Grounded Relations & Repair: A Native Assembled Cartography of Colorado".

The RIO Arts & Humanities Grant Program reflects the vital role the arts and humanities play across the university—fostering connection, inviting a range of perspectives and encouraging deeper exploration of the human experience.

Find out more about the award and other recipients here.

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Waleed Abdalati Selected as Sesquicentennial Faculty Scholar

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 21:23:23 +0000

Waleed Abdalati Selected as Sesquicentennial Faculty Scholar Gabriela Rocha Sales Wed, 04/29/2026 - 15:23

In celebration of CU �ֲ��ý’s 150th anniversary, the Sesquicentennial Faculty Scholars recognition program spotlights some of the university’s most inspiring voices—faculty members whose research and creative work transform lives and serve the public good. This prestigious program elevates faculty whose scholarship benefits communities, informs policy, advances innovation, and addresses society’s most pressing challenges.

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Two Geography professors were selected for the �ֲ��ý’s Sustainability Research Initiative Fellowship

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 21:34:35 +0000

Two Geography professors were selected for the �ֲ��ý’s Sustainability Research Initiative Fellowship Gabriela Rocha Sales Mon, 04/27/2026 - 15:34

Katherine Siegel, and Keith Musselman along with 18 other researchers will participate in a year-long incubator designed to bring CU �ֲ��ý researchers together to collaborate and conduct research that addresses complex, multidimensional, boundary-spanning sustainability issues.

The SRI Research Fellowship is built on a simple premise: when talented people are given the space, time and community to dream big together, transformative ideas emerge. Sustainability challenges are complex and multidimensional, and addressing them requires intellectual approaches that cross boundaries, challenge assumptions and leverage diverse perspectives.

This fellowship is designed to cultivate exactly that environment. This first cohort of fellows includes 20 researchers from departments and research institutes across campus. Through a series of intensive trainings and retreats, the fellows will spend the year building community, practicing future-oriented thinking, and forming transdisciplinary teams capable of shaping the next generation of sustainability scholarship and solutions.

“This new fellowship is emblematic of CU �ֲ��ý’s strong campuswide commitment to sustainability, and it demonstrates how SRI is elevating and connecting CU’s sustainability researchers in creative and unexpected ways for greater impact,” said CU �ֲ��ý Vice Chancellor for Sustainability Andrew Mayock.

SRI conducted a series of focus groups in the fall of 2025 and a resounding theme emerged: researchers are eager to collaborate across disciplines, but institutional structures make that collaboration challenging.

“Comments like ‘Where can we think together?’ and ‘Can we buy faculty time for creative thinking?’ underscored the urgency,” said SRI Director Jane Zelikova. “The SRI research fellowship directly responds to these needs by carving out time and space for intentional community building across intellectual and departmental silos and for creative, non-proposal driven conversations. We aim to foster a space where serendipity can seed new ideas and collaborations and where researchers feel supported to explore bold, unconventional approaches.”

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Mark Serreze: Arctic Amplification and Changing Precipitation

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 21:31:39 +0000

Mark Serreze: Arctic Amplification and Changing Precipitation Gabriela Rocha Sales Mon, 04/27/2026 - 15:31

Geography Distinguished Professor Mark Serreze and colleagues published a study in the journal “The Cryosphere” on Arctic Amplification (AA) - the much stronger observed warming of the Arctic compared to the globe as a whole. Serreze concludes that one of the most important processes driving Arctic Amplification is summertime loss of the Arctic’s sea ice cover. More melt of the sea ice cover in summer exposes ever larger dark open water areas which pick up the sun’s energy. As summer fades into winter and the sun sets in the Arctic, the extra heat gained by the ocean is released upward to the atmosphere. This is why Arctic Amplification is most strongly expressed in autumn, and along the Russian coast that has seen the largest summer ice losses. These areas have warmed by more than 2K per year, or 8-10 degrees Kelvin over the period 1980-2024 (Figure xx). An important contributor to Arctic Amplification is that the Arctic atmosphere is characterized by a strong temperature inversion, which inhibits mixing, focusing the heating near the surfaces. However, Arctic Amplification is also changing the Arctic atmosphere to make it less stable. Research on Arctic Amplification ties in with research led by former graduate student Zaria Cast in another paper published in “The Cryosphere” on how warming is starting to change the Arctic from a snowfall to a rainfall dominated region. As Arctic temperatures continue to rise, precipitation increases, and more and more of that precipitation falls as snow will fall as rain. It is well known that rain on snow events in the Arctic, which are increasing in frequency, have severe consequences for traditional reindeer herding when hard icy crusts form that inhibit grazing. There are well recorded cases where tens of thousands of reindeer have died following a rain on sow event.

Figure: The change in Arctic temperatures in degrees (Kelvin) per year during autumn over the period 1980 through 2024.

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Geography Professor Isaac Rivera Launches The Rita Martinez Spatial Justice Lab

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 21:28:38 +0000

Geography Professor Isaac Rivera Launches The Rita Martinez Spatial Justice Lab Gabriela Rocha Sales Mon, 04/27/2026 - 15:28

Dr. Isaac Rivera launched the Rita Martinez Spatial Justice Lab on April 10, 2026. The lab aspires to foreground creative and accountable digital geographies, such as cartography and geomedia to animate the everyday ways in which Colorado communities and beyond seek to affirm life in the broadest sense. Our motto, For Life Affirming Geographies, is not a metaphor, but a call to action to direct geographical knowledge to honor the self-determination of Native nations everywhere; to serve as a vessel that co-creates the conditions of possibility for the repair of the Earth and our communities; and for assembling the geoimaginaries necessary in which to envision a future where all life may thrive. For Life!

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Jessica Finlay: GOALie Geographer

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 21:22:44 +0000

Jessica Finlay: GOALie Geographer Gabriela Rocha Sales Mon, 04/27/2026 - 15:22

Assistant Professor Jessica Finlay co-founded GOAL (Geographies of Aging and the Life Course), an interdisciplinary working group that has grown to include more than 150 researchers worldwide. GOAL brings together scholars engaged in spatial and place-based studies of aging and the life course across a wide range of disciplines, including geography, gerontology, epidemiology, sociology, transportation, and urban planning. The group’s mission is to foster connection, collaboration, and innovation in research on the dynamic relationships among space, place, environment, and health across the life course.

Dr. Jessica Finlay and GOAL co-founders Dr. Amber DeJohn and Dr. Michael Desjardins.

Dr. Jessica Finlay led a qualitative methods workshop during a GOAL 2026 scientific workshop in Tallahassee, Florida, helping participants build interview skills with volunteers from local senior centers.

GOAL members gathered for an ice cream social after the GOAL symposium sessions at the 2026 American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting in San Francisco, where they shared updates on their latest research and explored new opportunities for collaboration.

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Feature-Faculty

Colleen Reid in The Conversation: Yes, breathing wildfire smoke can harm your health – here’s what you can do to protect yourself

What is in wildfire smoke?

Has wildfire smoke been increasing recently, and why?

How could wildfire smoke affect my health?

Where can I learn more about wildfire smoke risks where I live?

What can I do to protect myself and my family from wildfire smoke?

Off

Jennifer Balch and Environmental Data Science Innovation & Impact Lab (ESIIL) are launching the Fast Fire Network

Off

John O'Loughlin in The Conversation: We asked Ukrainians what they think of Trump – more view him as an enemy than a friend

Off

Ellen Considine: Indonesia’s air quality got worse after China banned plastic waste imports

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Assitant Professor Isaac Rivera Receives Research & Innovation Office (RIO) Arts & Humanities Grant

Off

Waleed Abdalati Selected as Sesquicentennial Faculty Scholar

Off

Two Geography professors were selected for the �ֲ���ý’s Sustainability Research Initiative Fellowship

Off

Mark Serreze: Arctic Amplification and Changing Precipitation

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Geography Professor Isaac Rivera Launches The Rita Martinez Spatial Justice Lab

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Jessica Finlay: GOALie Geographer

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Two Geography professors were selected for the �ֲ��ý’s Sustainability Research Initiative Fellowship