Lungs on Fire
Wildfires are happening more often and more intensely across Canada. Smoke from these fires can have serious effects on health, especially the lungs. The Lungs On Fire project is a five-year national research initiative funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Our goal is to understand how wildfire smoke affects people and to make sure health guidance reflects the values and needs of communities.
Our Team
The project brings together investigators and partners from across Canada. Our Knowledge Mobilization Working Group (KMWG) includes patient partners, healthcare providers, and community representatives who are advancing conversations about how to improve guidance and reduce the harms of wildfire smoke.
Our Aims
The project has three main aims, each addressed through several research studies.
Aim 1: Wildfire Smoke and Chronic Lung Disease
Leads: Drs. Henderson, Carlsten, Cleland
We know wildfire smoke can have a short-term impact on the lungs, but we don’t know enough about its long-term impact on chronic lung conditions like asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), or lung cancer. By running controlled lab studies, analyzing health records, and exploring data from large groups of people over time, we aim to answer:
• How does wildfire smoke trigger changes in the lungs that may lead to disease?
• Does long-term exposure worsen lung function over time?
• Is wildfire smoke linked to new diagnoses of asthma and COPD?
• Does exposure increase the risk of lung cancer?
Through these studies, we hope to provide Canada’s strongest evidence yet on how wildfire smoke contributes to chronic lung disease and help doctors and policymakers create better prevention and treatment strategies.
Aim 2: Intersectional Risk Factors
Leads: Drs. Brauer, Brigham and Carlsten
The impact of wildfire smoke is likely to differ across individuals, communities, and regions. By studying biological samples, health records, and community-level data, we aim to answer:
• Do age, sex, gender, or genetics affect how people respond to wildfire smoke?
• How do lifestyle factors like diet or physical activity change risk?
• How do income, geography, and community resources change risk?
This research will help identify the people and communities who are most vulnerable to harm from wildfire smoke, so that public health advice and resources can be better tailored to them.
Aim 3: Values, Preferences, and Needs
Leads: Drs. Bansback, Camp, Harvard
Public health guidance depends not just on understanding the science, but also on knowing what matters to people. By working with diverse groups, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, rural residents, young people, elders, and people living with lung disease, through interviews, focus groups, and surveys, we aim to answer:
• What do people want to know about wildfire smoke?
• How do people decide what actions to take when there is wildfire smoke in their community?
• What makes health guidance about wildfire smoke useful and trustworthy?
Findings from this work will support health guidance about wildfire smoke that is practical, trustworthy, inclusive, and responsive to people’s values and needs.
Want to learn more?
Listen to the BC Lung Foundation’s Airwaves & Airways podcast, featuring a three-part series highlighting each of the project’s research pillars.
Explore the Lungs On Fire 2025 Speaker Series on the Legacy for Airway Health YouTube channel. To sign up for upcoming sessions, contact Dr. Stephanie Harvard at stephanie.harvard@ubc.ca.
Explore the Lungs On Fire 2025/26 Annual Report and accompanying resources.