Wildfire smoke: A health emergency beyond the flames, WHO warns

By&nbspMarta Iraola Iribarren Published on 29/07/2026 - 16:34 GMT+2 Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Wildfire smoke from southern Europe's fires is a growing health emergency, WHO warns, and public health authorities need to do more to inform and protect the most vulnerable. Fires are sweeping southern Europe in what is now one of the worst wildfire seasons in years. The situation has forced mass evacuations, damaged infrastructure and claimed lives.

ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Their toll on people's health and on healthcare systems is also rising across the region. “These are not merely fire episodes affecting livelihoods and creating this immediate danger; it's a true health emergency”, Dorota Jarosinska, Programme Manager at the World Health Organization’s European Centre for Climate Change, Environment and Health, told Euronews Health. She added that the impacts may continue long after the fire is out, and can be felt at considerable distance from where the wildfire took place.

“This smoke coming from wildfires may travel hundreds, if not thousands of kilometres, impairing air quality in places very distant from the fire itself, including urban areas that are heavily inhabited, affecting potentially many people,” Jarosinska added. “It's not necessary to see the flames or to see a plume of smoke to experience the health risk”. What wildfire smoke is, and why it’s harmful Wildfire smoke is a mix of toxic pollutants, particulate matter and gases.

The health risks can vary depending on what is burning, as fires often consume plastics, electronics and paints that release toxic chemicals into the air. “These small, fine particles can really penetrate from the lungs to our blood and trigger a response in our organism, activating our immune system and causing inflammation,” Jarosinska said. While symptoms among healthy people can be mild, such as throat irritation and a runny nose, Jarosinska noted that those with underlying health conditions can suffer a far greater impact.

People with asthma or chronic pulmonary disease are particularly vulnerable, as are those with heart disease, along with children and older people. "The symptoms are diverse and can range from mild to very severe, even life-threatening," Jarosinska added. Related Sixth-generation wildfires: why they are more dangerous and how to fight them Public health advice must not leave anyone behind Yet, Jarosinska noted that public health advice tends to be general, aimed at the broader population rather than tailored to those most at risk.

Beyond recommendations such as staying indoors and limiting exercise, guidance that benefits everyone, even if the need varies with air quality, Jarosinska called for more nuanced advice that better accounts for vulnerable groups. “Advice is also given to use air conditioning and these high efficiency filters and that's very good advice for those who have these devices,” Jarosinska said. However, she warned that some of these guidelines can leave behind people who lack access to such equipment, or to air-conditioned or clean-air spaces.

According to Jarosinska, part of the authorities' responsibility is to provide spaces where people can cool down and access clean air, and to ensure these are available to everyone in the community. “[Authorities must] take care also of those who are more disadvantaged, who cannot access health care, who don't know the local language, who have no access to information,” she added. A growing strain on healthcare systems This drive towards resilience and preparedness for climate emergencies also includes reinforcing the capacity of healthcare systems, Jarosinska noted.

“When we talk about exposure to wildfire smoke and health impact, we think of individuals, their individual suffering and problems. But it's also really a huge strain on the health sector.” She stressed that healthcare professionals need to be trained and equipped with the right information: they need to understand what poor air quality means, how to communicate it, and what advice to give to each patient.

"The immediate priority is to strengthen the position of the health sector: to train people, to equip them, so that the health argument is communicated more strongly and factored into local action," Jarosinska added. Go to accessibility shortcuts Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Read more Health news Chicken industry is fuelling the spread of diarrhoea-causing bacteria Health news Two-thirds of children exposed to extreme temperatures in Europe Health news Europe to miss 2030 hepatitis elimination targets Wildfires WHO Health Europe Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Mess