American and Canadian Lung Associations Again Join Forces to Reduce the Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke
CHICAGO and OTTAWA – (June 3, 2025) – As devastating wildfires continue to increase throughout North America, the American Lung Association and Canadian Lung Association are collaborating for a second year to raise awareness about the health risks associated with wildfire smoke, educate people on how to protect themselves, and promote strategies to mitigate the occurrence of catastrophic wildfires.
Rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns are contributing to more severe droughts, fostering conditions that promote the ignition and rapid spread of forest and grassland fires. In recent years, Canada and the United States have experienced a marked increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires, along with greater health effects from smoke that can travel hundreds and even thousands of miles across the international border.
Canada faced its worst wildfire year ever in 2023, with large fires affecting all 13 provinces and territories. Although 2024 saw fewer fires, it still ranked among the top six wildfires seasons in the past 50 years. The U.S. also experienced a rise in wildfires, with 64,897 in 2024, up from 56,580 the previous year, notably in Hawaii and areas of the Midwest and East Coast not typically prone to severe wildfires. This year, Canada began its wildfire season with fewer fires; however, the U.S. has already experienced devastating fires in Southern California, including the state’s second and third most destructive fires, as well as significant blazes in Texas, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Florida and South Carolina.
“Catastrophic wildfires are impacting the lung health of people in all parts of the U.S. and Canada,” said Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association. “We are not only seeing an increase in the frequency and devastating impact of fires, but they are also dispersing dangerous smoke and particle pollution across a larger area. Our partnership with the Canadian Lung Association is critical in ensuring that individuals living in both countries understand the likelihood and dangers of wildfires, and how to protect themselves and their families—especially those living with lung disease—from the potentially devastating health impacts of smoke and particle pollution.”
“We often take the simple act of drawing a clean breath, for granted,” says Sarah Butson, CEO of the Canadian Lung Association. “But when wildfire smoke reaches our communities, sometimes we can’t even do that in our own homes. Every one of us needs to be concerned about how wildfires and extreme weather are affecting our communities and our health.”
Wildfire smoke poses serious health hazards for anyone who breathes. Smoke contains tiny particles – some so tiny that they can travel deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream – that can worsen chronic lung disease symptoms and trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes. In addition to people with lung disease, groups that may face higher risk of health harms from wildfire smoke include Black and Indigenous individuals and people of color, children, older adults, people experiencing poverty, individuals who are pregnant and outdoor workers. Recent studies have also highlighted the mental and emotional impacts of wildfires and related air pollution.
Depending on what is burning, wildfire smoke can also contain additional harmful components. For example, smoke from burned houses and vehicles can contain lead and other harmful metals and pollutants. Wildfire smoke can also contribute to unhealthy levels of ozone pollution, which poses additional harms to lung health.
To protect residents in both countries from the harmful health impacts of wildfires, the American Lung Association and the Canadian Lung Association are once again working together, concentrating their efforts on three key areas:
- Awareness: Raising greater awareness about the health impacts that wildfire smoke has on everyone, especially higher-risk communities and groups, through online resources, media stories, social media and more.
- Education: Educating the public on steps people can take to protect themselves from wildfire smoke before, during and after a wildfire smoke event. Canadian resources are available here and American resources are available here.
- Advocacy: The American Lung Association is advocating for the use of prescribed fires in some circumstances, and both organizations are advocating for ways to address one key factor making wildfires worse: climate change. Learn about the American Lung Association’s Healthy Air Campaign here and the Canadian Lung Association’s advocacy efforts here.
For more information, visit the American Lung Association at Lung.org and the Canadian Lung Association at Lung.ca.
