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Wildfire Study

RAIN (Regional Alliance of INBRE Networks) Project

Chemical Characterization of Western Wildfire Smoke, Lung Toxicity, and Health Risks

About the Project

Objectives

The main goals of this collaborative research are to determine the composition and toxicity of western wildfire smoke on simulated human lung tissue and evaluate the associated health risks. We hypothesize that inhaled particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) leach toxicants to lung fluids, depending on smoke exposure.

Aims

  • Characterize PM and VOCs in fresh and aged wildfire smoke at several sites in the Western United States by X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and liquid/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify particulate size, composition of minerals, and speciated VOCs.  

  • Determine the toxicity of PM and VOCs of wildfire smoke using simulated lung fluids and in vitro toxicity assays. This approach will quantify dissolved metals, metalloids, and VOCs in simulated lung fluids via batch reactor studies. 

  • Identify the associations between respiratory health outcomes and emissions from wildfires and develop a statistical model for health risk assessment.

Our Study Sites

  1. Phoenix, AZ

  2. Irvine, CA

  3. Sacramento, CA

  4. Denver, CO

  5. Lewiston, ID

  6. Boise, ID

  7. Clayton, ID

  8. Missoula, MT

9.  Albuquerque, NM

10. Las Cruces, NM

11. Los Alamos, NM

12. Reno, NV

13. Portland, OR

14. Salt Lake, UT

15. San Jacinto, CA

16. Merced, CA

Principle Investigators

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Lewis-Clark State College

Dr. Nancy Johnston

Associate Professor, Chemistry

Physical, Life, Movement and Sport Sciences

najohnston@lcsc.edu

(208)792-2233

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New Mexico State University

Dr. Soyoung Jeon

Assistant Professor, Economics, Applied Statistics, and International Business sjeon@nmsu.edu

(575)646-2607

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New Mexico Tech

Dr. Gayan Rubasinghege

Associate Professor, Chemistry gayan.rubasinghege@nmt.edu

(575)835-5129

METHODS

Passive sampling of VOCs and determination of uptake rates (Miller et al., 2022)

Thermal Desorption-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Analysis via EPA Methods 325 (Photo from Azeem and Davies, 2019 )

RESULTS

Example smoke map from summer 2024 on Airnow.gov.

Particulate matter (2.5), Benzene, and BTEX concentrations over sampling period 2024 at selected locations.

Uptake rates (mL/min) of VOCs on Tenax-TA.

Maximum average daily PM2.5 during Aug-Sept 2024.

 VOC levels, indoor and outdoor, during 2 smoke events.

Mean VOC levels during smoke events in Idaho cities.

Conclusions

  • Idaho sites saw much more wildfire smoke impact than other sites

  • Health risk of benzene exposures was up to 18 extra cancers per million at the Lewiston site.

  • New rates for up to 48 VOCs were experimentally determined.

  • Other site data is still in progress and will be compared.

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References: 

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McClure, C. D., & Jaffe, D. A. (2018). US particulate matter air quality improves except in wildfire-prone areas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115(31), 7901–7906. https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.1804353115/-/DCSUPPLEMENTAL

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Miller, D. D., Bajracharya, A., Dickinson, G. N., Durbin, T. A., McGarry, J. K. P., Moser, E. P., Nuñez, L. A., Pukkila, E. J., Scott, P. S., Sutton, P. J., & Johnston, N. A. C. (2022). Diffusive uptake rates for passive air sampling: Application to volatile organic compound exposure during FIREX-AQ campaign. Chemosphere, 287, 131808. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2021.131808

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US EPA. (2015). Method 325A—Volatile Organic Compounds from Fugitive and Area Sources: Sampler Deployment and VOC Sample Collection. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-07/documents/m-325a.pdf

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US EPA. (2019). Method 325B—Volatile Organic Compounds from Fugitive and Area Sources. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-07/documents/m-325b.pdf

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