Welcome to episode 2 of our Airwaves & Airways special summer series, where we're diving into Lungs on Fire, a 5-year grant funded by CIHR that is looking into the long-term health effects of wildfire smoke across 3 research pillars. The project includes leading researchers in the field of wildfire smoke who will collaborate across experimental, epidemiological, and social science.

In this episode, we chat about the 2nd research pillar, which focuses on socioeconomic factors that lead to the development of lung disease, to do this, the research team will be analyzing the characteristics of people and how it affects risk of lung disease. Dr. Emily Brigham discusses her ongoing work with Dr. Michael Brauer as they work to identify characteristics that can contribute to disproportionately affected populations in order to develop solutions and improve health equity.

As wildfires grow more intense and frequent in British Columbia, some of the best and brightest minds in lung health research in British Columbia have come together to collaborate on ‘Lungs On Fire’. This 5-year, 2 million dollar grant funded by CIHR (Canadian Institutes of Health Research) will further investigate the long-term health effects of wildfire smoke and how wildfire smoke exposure can impact individuals differently across 3 research pillars. The research produced through Lungs On Fire will focus on exploring wildfire smoke exposures, measuring the impacts of air pollution on lung disease (asthma and COPD), identifying lung cancer risk from pollution among non-smokers, and evaluating and catering health messages for the public.

Over the summer, Airwaves & Airways will be featuring an episode focused on each of the 3 research pillars as we pull the curtain back on the research process and dive into this exciting new investigation that will shine a new light on the health impacts of wildfire smoke. This episode focuses on the experimental lab methods and administrative health data analysis pillar of the project. To learn more, we chat with Dr. Christopher Carlsten, and Dr. Stephanie Cleland about their work including the barriers, design, and hypotheses of their studies.

Referenced links:

• Be sure to check out the Lungs On Fire 2025 Speaker Series featuring 4 different speakers discussing wildfire smoke and its impacts! Available on Legacy for Airway Health’s YouTube channel: Lungs On Fire Speaker Series 1: What Should Be the Goals of Public Health Guidance?
• Sign up to view future presentations by emailing Dr. Stephanie Harvard at stephanie.harvard@ubc.ca

In this month's episode we chat about firefighting and lung health and explore the respiratory risks associated with increased exposure to smoke, and how firefighters can keep themselves protected while on the job. As we head into wildfire season, many communities are bracing for smoky conditions as the fires are becoming more frequent and intense every year. Wildfires produce significant amounts of smoke, and our firefighters are the first responders to tackle these dangerous conditions. So, when your duty requires you to expose yourself to dangerous chemicals and particulates, how do you mitigate risk, and how can firefighters stay prepared and stay safe while on the job? To learn more, we are joined by Tom DeSorcy, Retired Fire Chief from Hope, BC, and BC Lung’s Board Chair, and Brian Hutchinson, the Superintendent of Provincial Operations – Fire Services with the BC Wildfire Service, and the former Fire Chief of the District of North Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services.

Referenced links:

• National Fire Protection Association Standard –NFPA 1981 - https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1981-standard-development/1981
• Register for Climb the Wall 2026 - https://secure3.convio.net/bclung/site/TR?fr_id=1150&pg=entry