University of Oregon study reveals shortcomings in public health messaging around wildfire smoke exposure

Public health agencies are playing an increasingly important role in alerting residents to the risks of wildfire smoke as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of wildfires in the West. But that messaging can lack important information about the severity of that risk and specific actions that can be taken to mitigate it, according to a new study from the University of Oregon. 

The study examined nearly 1,300 messages about wildfire smoke exposure that were sent in 2022 by federal, state and county health agencies in Oregon and Washington using the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. While slightly more than half the tweets were sent during September and October when wildfire smoke peaked, less than a fifth of them contained useful air quality descriptions or steps residents could take to mitigate exposure to it, such as using an air purifier at home or wearing a mask outdoors to filter out ash and smoke particles. 

Joining us to discuss the findings, and the opportunities they reveal to better communicate wildfire smoke health risks  is Cathy Slavik, the lead author of the study and a research associate at the Center for Science Communication Research at the University of Oregon.