You are here:
Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Health Officials, revised 2019
Citation:
Stone, S., L. Anderko, M. Berger, C. Butler, AND W. Cascio, et al. Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Health Officials, revised 2019. U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC, EPA/452/R-19/901, 2019.
Impact/Purpose:
The “Wildfire Smoke and Your Patients’ Health” GUIDE is intended to help health care professionals and asthma educators understand the health effects associated with wildfire smoke and steps to advise patients to take before and during a wildfire to reduce smoke exposure. The course will ultimately be offered as a web-based course and we are going to offer continuing education credits for doctors, nurses and asthma educators through the CDC.
Description:
• Identify why wildfire smoke exposure is a public health and clinical concern. • Identify groups at greatest risk from particle pollution in wildfire smoke. • Explain how particle pollution from wildfire smoke affects the general population. • Explain how particle pollution from wildfire smoke affects patients with cardiovascular or respiratory disease, older adults, children under 18 years of age, pregnant women, outdoor workers, and those of lower socio-economic status. • Explain how and why to use of the Air Quality Index for advising patients to reduce exposure and protect their health during periods of wildfire smoke. • List actions patients can take in advance to prepare for and reduce exposure to wildfire smoke. • Identify strategies to reduce exposure when levels of wildfire smoke are unhealthy. • Describe the importance of interprofessional collaboration to increase the effectiveness of patient advice on how to reduce health risk during wildfire events.