Wildfire Smoke Exposure [Washington (State)]
State of Washington Geospatial Open Data Portal · 2025 Full Details
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- Title
- Wildfire Smoke Exposure [Washington (State)]
- Description
- This data is included as part of the Environmental Health Disparities Version 3.0 map. To see this map, visit our webpage . For more technical information on this map and the model used, visit our technical report (link) . Background Wildfires are happening more often and with more intensity due to climate change and past forest management practices. Wildfire smoke contributes significantly to fine particulate matter pollution (PM2.5). (Refer to our PM2.5 data note for more information.) PM2.5 is linked to a range of health issues, including lung and heart diseases, and increased rates of premature death. Short-term exposure to wildfire smoke can lead to hospitalizations for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Long-term exposure can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. Wildfire smoke disproportionately affects certain groups, including children and youth, older adults, pregnant people, people with chronic health conditions, people of color and Indigenous people, people with less economic access and/or higher social vulnerability, those with inadequate air filtration, outdoor workers, and unhoused people. Evidence In Washington, wildfire smoke is becoming more common and intense. Wildfires cause nearly half of all PM2.5 across parts of the Western U.S. [1]. Wildfire smoke can travel thousands of miles, exposing people in Washington to wildfire smoke from far away fires. Short-term exposure to wildfire smoke increases the risk of new or worsening health conditions [2]. These include lung and heart disease, asthma, and premature death [2]. Longer-term exposure to wildfire smoke may increase the risk of pre-term birth and low birthweight and mental health impacts [3,4]. Wildfire smoke exposure is also linked to higher risk of respiratory illness including influenza and COVID-19 [5]. Between 2011 and 2021, 87% of the U.S. population experienced increases in wildfire smoke exposure [6]. Children born in 2020 will face twice as many wildfires in their lifetime as those born in 1960 [7]. Wildfire smoke exposure affects some groups more than others. Communities facing disadvantages related to race, ethnicity, language, education, and housing are affected the most. As a result, these communities have higher risk of health problems such as lung and heart issues [6]. Non-Hispanic American Indians are disproportionately exposed to wildfire smoke in California [8]. In Washington, people with higher social vulnerability, as shown on the CDC's Social Vulnerability Index, are disproportionately exposed [9]. Latino communities are often overlooked in wildfire discussions. However, they face added challenges that make them more vulnerable. These include higher levels of air pollution exposure, preexisting health conditions, and outdoor employment. Systemic barriers like limited health insurance, gaps in emergency preparedness, and fears of immigration enforcement can make it harder for them to prepare and recover effectively [10]. Wildfire smoke can travel thousands of miles, depositing particles in ecosystems far from the fire. It can change the soil and impact water sources like streams and lakes. This can affect drinking water as well as the plants and animals in the ecosystem [11]. Wildfire smoke may also impact biological processes of plants and animals by filtering sunlight. Data source National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Hazard Mapping System (HMS) daily smoke plume product and daily air quality concentration data for June-September, 2017-2023, and include October for 2022, due to major wildfire smoke events that month. Methods The wildfire smoke exposure score is based on the PM2.5 concentration on wildfire smoke days from June to September 2017-2023 (plus October, 2022). This score combines both the number of days with smoke and how bad the smoke was. The census tracts that experienced the most smoke have the highest scores. We marked days as impacted by wildfire smoke based on "heavy" plumes from the NOAA HMS daily smoke plume product. Each impacted census tract was assigned the nearest air quality system monitor. For each smoke-impacted day, affected census tracts were assigned the PM2.5 concentration from the nearest monitor. We calculated the median background PM2.5 level for each monitor each month to avoid double counting regular PM2.5 pollution. (Regular PM2.5 pollution is already captured in the PM2.5 measure of the EHD map.) We subtracted this median PM2.5 concentration from the PM2.5 concentration on smoky days to get a smoke PM2.5 concentration. The final score adds up the smoke-related PM2.5 levels over all the smoke-impacted days for each census tract, representing the historical smoke impacts across 2017-2023. Additional Context NOAA's Office of Satellite and Product Operations provides the daily HMS Fire and Smoke Product . The smoke product is the underlying data used in this map. Trained NOAA analysts create smoke polygons each day based on satellite imagery. The polygons are updated during the day as updated satellite imagery is available during daylight hours. The finalized smoke shapefile product is completed the following morning. Each smoke polygon is categorized as light, medium or heavy based on visual classification and apparent thickness of plumes from satellite imagery. The PM2.5 data is derived from state and federal monitors, which are a part of the national Air Quality System. Washington State has over 70 federal reference, federal equivalent monitors, and nephelometers that serve as the gold standard for measuring PM2.5 concentration. We use daily PM2.5 concentration as a proxy for the intensity of wildfire smoke in an area, as is done in research settings. For more information on real-time wildfire smoke impacts in Washington, visit the Washington Smoke Information blog or the EPA Fire and Smoke Map . Historical data from all air monitoring sites is available from Department of Ecology's AirQualityWA - Site Map . Caveats The methods use NOAA's HMS smoke polygons, which are based on satellite imagery. While this provides a broad view of smoke exposure, it may not accurately capture localized variations in wildfire smoke or conditions at the ground level. The smoke polygons are updated based on satellite data available during daylight hours. This could potentially miss or underreport smoke events at night. This measure represents the entire census tract, not each individual community within the tract. These data should always be supplemented with local data and equitable engagement for more accurate insights. Sources Burke M, Driscoll A, Heft-Neal S, Xue J, Burney J, Wara M. (2021). The changing risk and burden of wildfire in the United States. PNAS , 118(2). Liu JC, Pereira G, Uhl SA, Bravo MA, Bell ML. (2016). A systematic review of the physical health impacts from non-occupational exposure to wildfire smoke. Environ Res , 136. Foo D, Stewart R, Heo S, Dhamrait G, Choi HM, Song Y, Bell ML. (2024). Wildfire smoke exposure during pregnancy and perinatal, obstetric, and early childhood health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Res , 241. Mirabelli MC, Vaidyanathan A, Pennington AF, Ye D, Trenga CA. (2022). Wildfire smoke and symptoms affecting mental health among adults in the U.S. state of Oregon. Prev Med , 164. Landguth EL, Holden ZA, Graham J, Stark B, Mokhtari EB, Kaleczyc E, Anderson S, Urbanski S, Jolly M, Semmens EO, Warren DA, Swanson A, Stone E, Noonan C. (2020). The delayed effect of wildfire season particulate matter on subsequent influenza season in a mountain west region of the USA. Environ Int , 139. Vargo J, Lappe B, Mirabelli MC, Conlon KC. (2023). Social vulnerability in US communities affected by wildfire smoke, 2011 to 2021. Am J Public Health , 113(7), 759-767. PreventionWeb . (2024). How researchers measure wildfire smoke exposure doesn't capture long-term health effects—and that's a problem. PreventionWeb . Casey J, Kioumourtzoglou M-A, Padula A, González DJX, et al. (2024). Measuring long-term exposure to wildfire PM ₂.₅ in California: Time-varying inequities in environmental burden. PNAS , 121(8). Rad AR, Abatzoglou JT, Fleishman E, Mockrin MH, Radeloff VC, et al. (2023). Social vulnerability of the people exposed to wildfires in U.S. West Coast states. Science Advances , 9(38). UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute. (2025). Wildfires and Latino communities: Health, economic, and preparedness challenges. UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute . Farruggia MJ, Brahney J, Tanentzap AJ, Brentrup JA, et al. (2024). Wildfire smoke impacts lake ecosystems. Global Change Biology . Citation Washington Tracking Network, Washington State Department of Health. Web. "Wildfire Smoke Exposure". Data obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Hazard Mapping System (HMS) , June-September, 2017-2023, and October for 2022 . Published September 2025.
- Creator
- WADOH
- Publisher
- State of Washington Geospatial Open Data Portal
- Temporal Coverage
- Last Modified: 2025-10-21
- Date Issued
- 2025-07-08
- Rights
- Neither the Washington State Department of Health (WADOH), nor any agency, officer, or employee of the WADOH warrants the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of any information published by this system, nor endorses any content, viewpoints, products, or services linked from this system, and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of such information. Portions of such information may be incorrect or not current. Any person or entity who relies on any information obtained from this system does so at their own risk.
- Access Rights
- Public
- Format
- ArcGIS FeatureLayer
- Language
- English
- Date Added
- February 02, 2026
- Provenance Statement
- The metadata for this resource was last retrieved from State of Washington Geospatial Open Data Portal on 2026-02-02.
Cite and Reference
-
Citation
WADOH (2025). Wildfire Smoke Exposure [Washington (State)]. State of Washington Geospatial Open Data Portal. https://geo.wa.gov/datasets/f2fb7086f74448479bdf287313300738_0 (web service) -
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