California wildfires | Environmental Health Sciences Center

AB 617: Translating California’s dirty air into a cleaner bill of health

By Jennifer Biddle and Maddie Hunt

Raging wildfires send scientists scrambling to study health effects

UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center Director Irva Hertz-Picciotto and Researcher Lisa Miller on the long-term health effects of wildfires

From News in Nature

By Sara Reardon, Staff Reporter

September 7, 2018

A growing problem after wildfires: Toxic chemicals

UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center Director Irva Hertz-Picciotto on the effects of the 2017 Tubbs Fire

From Health in The Washington Post

By Sharon Bernstein, Reporter

April 8, 2019

As an uncontrollable wildfire turned the California town of Paradise to ash, air pollution researcher Keith Bein knew he had to act fast: Little is known about toxic chemicals released when a whole town burns, and the wind would soon blow away evidence.

Bad air from California's Camp Fire makes people sick, but for how long?

UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center Director Irva Hertz-Picciotto and Professor Rebecca Schmidt on the health impacts of wildfire smoke emissions

From California Wildfires in NBC News

By James Rainey, Reporter

November 23, 2018

Wind and rain arrived in Northern California this week, providing welcome relief to a region buffeted by the state's deadliest wildfire and then besieged for nearly two weeks by a dome of thick, noxious smoke.

Toxic stew stirred up by disasters poses long-term danger, new findings show

UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center Director Irva Hertz-Picciotto on the long-term health effects of disasters

From Climate in The New York Times

By Christopher Flavelle, Climate Reporter

July 15, 2019

Wildfires pose new threats as homes burn, releasing toxic fumes

UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center Director Irva Hertz-Picciotto on the long-term consequences of California wildfires

From Science in National Geographic

By Sarah Gibbens, Writer

October 31, 2019

Should the fire light up in the right location, Ken Bein, an atmospheric scientist at the University of California, Davis, can deploy in just under an hour.

Reading between the lines with Hong Ji, PhD

The 2019-2020 Environmental Health Sciences Scholar knows fate plays best when it’s in your own hands

By Jennifer Biddle

From all outward appearances, some might describe Hong Ji’s career in epigenetics as pre-destiny. Her life seemed to follow a prescription: Brilliant microbiology student matriculating from top universities to pursue an ever-promising research career, all with the hope of illuminating the dark mysteries of some impossible-to-cure disease.

Anthony Wexler: Blue sky thinker

Anthony Wexler, PhD, MS is a research scientist who measures and models atmospheric aerosols related to urban smog, human health and global warming. His engineering background is the foundation for his understanding of the body’s physiological systems.

Nicholas Kenyon: Remodeling how we think about airways

Burning down the house: Wildfires and California’s potential to remake itself

Summer is here and hot with the possibility of another record-breaking wildfire season in California. So for the first time ever, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) brought together experts from universities, community organizations and government agencies across the nation to discuss the future of the Golden State and other regions in the West threatened by wildfires.

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