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Tuesday, April 22, 2025

The Chemistry of Fires in the Wildland Urban Interface

The study makes 2 global recommendations to fill critical data gaps and help inform decision-makers charged with mitigating wildfire impacts.

While conventional wildfires are fueled by burning of vegetation, fires in the WUI are fueled by vegetation and fuels from the built environment, such as homes, cars and other human-made structures. The interaction of these 2 types of fires can lead to public health effects that are unique to WUI fires.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) published a consensus study report – The Chemistry of Fires at the Wildland-Urban Interface – to address the public health impacts of WUI fires.

The study reviews aspects of the science of WUI fires, including:

  • History of WUI fires and defining characteristics.
  • The materials, combustion and emissions present at WUI fires.
  • The atmospheric transport and chemical transformations of WUI fire emissions over time.
  • Pollutants of concern for human exposure.
  • Methods for collecting data on WUI fires.

The study also makes 2 global recommendations to fill critical data gaps and help inform decision-makers charged with mitigating wildfire impacts on the general public:

  • Establishment of an integrated, multi-disciplinary research agenda for improving understanding of the chemistry, exposures and health impacts of toxicants resulting from WUI fires.
  • Development of tools, resources and messaging designed to inform a wide variety of decision-makers charged with mitigating wildland and WUI fire impacts.

Read more at USFA

Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Todayhttp://www.hstoday.us
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.

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