Wildfire Associated Health Risks Impacting Farmers and Ranchers

ABSTRACT

The incidence of large, uncontained wildfires in North America has increased in recent years, significantly impacting both urban and agriculturally-focused areas. The physical damage and health pressures left in the wake of uncontrolled fires has especially devastated farm and ranch operators in affected areas, prompting concern from the community of healthcare providers and advocates servicing this specialized occupational population. The AgriSafe Network, a leading health advocacy organization centered in agricultural health, conducted an interactive webinar with nationally recognized knowledge thought leaders as a response to this crisis. Results identified primary, action-critical issues as an initiatives roadmap for future focused precision research and targeted educational efforts. Think tank initiatives provide intelligible guidance that can lead to tractable interventions for agricultural populations effected by wildfires.

KEYWORDS:

• wildfires
• respiratory health
• agricultural health

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Suggested Web Resources

• AgriSafe Network-Fact Sheet, webinar and resource library. Available at: https://www.agrisafe.org/wildfires

• Wildfire Smoke – A Guide for Public Health Officials. Available at: www.oehha.ca.gov/air/risk_assess/wildfirev8.pdf

• Safe Clean up of Fire Ash. Available at: https://www.arb.ca.gov/carpa/toolkit/emerg-response/safe-cleanup-fire-ash.pdf

• Fires and Wildfires: Health Information Guide. Available at: https://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov/wildfires

• AirNow [US Environmental Protection Agency]. Available at: www.airnow.gov