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# Wildfires Are A Health Issue – Even After The Smoke Clears
October 19 2026
Written by Taiwo Opeyemi Aremu, MD, MPH, PhD.
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HEALTH WATCH - For a family returning home after a wildfire, relief can arrive with new questions. Is the air inside safe? Does a lingering cough need attention? Where can we get help? Those questions belong in the recovery conversation, alongside repairs, insurance claims and reopening schools.
California is already doing important work. State agencies support [air monitoring, hazardous-material removal and water protection](https://calepa.ca.gov/disaster/fire/). The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment provides [wildfire guidance for public health officials](https://oehha.ca.gov/public-information/general-info/wildfires), updated in 2026. Following the 2025 Los Angeles fires, local health authorities also helped residents obtain [free blood lead testing](https://www.cityofpasadena.net/city-manager/news/public-health-department-provides-guidance-to-prevent-lead-exposure-in-response-to-eaton-fire-soil-preliminary-test-results/).
These efforts deserve recognition and sustained support. As a physician and public health researcher, I would build on them with a further commitment: make health assessment and follow-up an accessible part of wildfire recovery, not an expense families must navigate alone.
**The health emergency can outlast the fire**
Wildfire smoke contains [gases and fine particles](https://www.cdc.gov/wildfires/risk-factors/index.html) that can trigger coughing, breathing difficulties and asthma attacks. People with heart or lung disease, children and pregnant people face particular risks. Smoke can travel far beyond the flames, so an undamaged home does not necessarily mean its residents avoided exposure.
Evacuation instructions, air-quality alerts and cleaner indoor air remain essential. Afterward, ash and debris can present additional hazards, especially where buildings burned. Residents should follow [local cleanup guidance](https://calepa.ca.gov/disaster/fire/) rather than disturb potentially hazardous materials. Health care should complement safer environments, not substitute for them.
Drinking-water safety belongs here, too. Fires can [damage public water systems](https://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/2026/09/10/restoring-public-confidence-in-drinking-water-after-wildfires/) and household plumbing; [private wells can also be affected](https://www.cdc.gov/wildfires/safety/how-to-safely-stay-safe-after-a-wildfire.html). Residents should follow their water supplier’s and health department’s instructions about safe use and any necessary testing. Clear advice about when water is safe again is part of restoring confidence.
Longer-term concerns deserve measured attention. A [California modeling study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38848356/) estimated a substantial premature-death burden from long-term exposure to particles from wildland fires. Population-level estimates cannot predict an individual’s future, but they support looking beyond the first smoky week. Recovery should also make room for [emotional distress](https://www.cdc.gov/wildfires/safety/how-to-safely-stay-safe-after-a-wildfire.html), disrupted sleep and ongoing care needs.
**Offer a health assessment without another financial hurdle**
I would ask health insurers, public coverage programs and regulators to establish a no-cost post-wildfire health assessment for affected residents, including people who have already completed their annual preventive visit. A new disaster-related exposure deserves attention on its own merits; the date of someone’s last checkup should not be a barrier.
Everyone affected should be offered an opportunity to discuss exposure and health concerns with a qualified professional. The urgency, setting and extent of assessment should reflect symptoms, exposure and medical history. People with substantial exposure, persistent symptoms or higher medical risk should receive priority, including responders and cleanup workers.
This is not a call for identical laboratory panels or scans for everyone. Clinicians should decide when an examination, breathing tests, lead testing or specialist referral is appropriate. For some people, an initial telephone or video consultation may provide guidance; others will need in-person care. [Severe breathing difficulty or chest pain](https://calepa.ca.gov/disaster/fire/) requires emergency attention, not a scheduled wellness visit.
The assessment should also address interrupted medications and emotional well-being. It should end with understandable advice about what to watch for and when to return. One reassuring visit should not close the door on later concerns.
There is a foundation for insurer participation. In January 2025, California’s Department of Managed Health Care directed regulated plans serving affected Southern California communities to [maintain access to medically necessary services and prescriptions](https://www.dmhc.ca.gov/Resources/Newsroom/PressReleases/January9,2025.aspx). Those protections included access to alternative providers when usual care was disrupted.
My proposal would add an explicit commitment to waive deductibles, copayments and coinsurance for the post-wildfire assessment and clinically indicated follow-up. This is a proposed improvement, not a statement that every plan already provides such a benefit. Residents should confirm current coverage rather than assume a visit is free.
Public funding should support comparable access for uninsured residents. Mobile clinics, community health centers, interpretation and transportation assistance could help make the offer usable. Eligibility should reflect exposure and health needs, not simply whether someone owns a damaged property.
**Support recovery now and invest in long-term health**
Donors, foundations, businesses and individual well-wishers have a meaningful role alongside public agencies and health plans. Recovery funding could support clinical access, counseling, effective air filtration and help attending follow-up appointments. A contribution to health can remain valuable after the immediate relief effort ends.
There is already an encouraging example. On September 8, 2026, UCLA announced [a $1.8 million grant from the Kao Family Foundation](https://ph.ucla.edu/news-events/news/ucla-fielding-led-study-health-impact-2025-los-angeles-wildfires-receives-18) to expand research on the long-term physical and mental health effects of the 2025 Los Angeles fires. The support includes a nine-year follow-up study within the broader L.A. Fire HEALTH collaboration.
That commitment deserves recognition. Similar partnerships could help researchers and communities understand who experiences lasting problems, which protective measures work and where access to care falls short. Findings should inform practical improvements across California, while recognizing differences between communities.
Philanthropy should strengthen dependable public and insurance support, not replace it. Research should remain independent, protect privacy and share useful findings with participating communities. Receiving care should never depend on agreeing to join a study.
These proposals require money, staff and coordination. Their value should be evaluated through health outcomes and access, not simply the number of appointments delivered. We should not assume every assessment saves money; we should ask whether the program identifies important needs and connects people with effective help.
Health is a human right. The World Health Organization recognizes the [right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-rights-and-health). For wildfire recovery, I would make that principle tangible through safer environments, understandable information and access to appropriate care regardless of a household’s ability to pay.
California has people, institutions and community partners already doing this work. Strengthening their efforts is a collective investment in the future of health. Rebuilding homes matters. Helping the people who live in them recover matters just as much.
*(****Taiwo Opeyemi Aremu, MD, MPH, PhD,*** *is a physician, public health expert, health economics and outcomes researcher, and assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy at Touro University California. The views expressed are his own.)*
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