Wildfire smoke, forecast to return to parts of northern Michigan next week, has become a reality for the state, and the workers most often exposed to it often have less protection, one expert says.
An occupational health and exposure scientist says that, without clear regulations or access to clean air, outdoor workers – landscapers, farmers, construction crews, and delivery workers – face compounding risks, from respiratory illness to heat stress.
Rick Neitzel is a professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and an exposure scientist. His current research is focused on occupational justice, a framework that recognizes how certain workers, often those in lower-wage, insecure jobs, bear a disproportionate share of environmental hazards.
“There are workers out there who have jobs that are just unimaginably bad,” Neitzel says, “and, unfortunately, those also happen to be workers who get some of the lowest pay and have some of the least job security.”
In Michigan, that imbalance can be especially stark when outdoor workers, those most exposed to wildfire smoke, also live in communities that face higher overall levels of pollution.
“They’re getting a double whammy,” Neitzel says. “They have jobs that are giving them really high exposures, and they don’t get a break because, when they go home, they’re living in a community that also has really high levels of wildfire smoke.”
The absence of a clean-air refuge or proper air filtration leaves those workers particularly vulnerable.
“They’re getting exposures that are probably the highest of anybody in a community,” he says. “Also, typically, outdoor work, especially manual outdoor work, is pretty demanding, so these folks are breathing harder than other people in the community, which means they’re getting more exposure.”
The fact that wildfire smoke is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes is well-documented, Neitzel says. “So because these folks are highly exposed, may not have options to reduce those exposures, and we know these health outcomes are linked to wildfire smoke, these folks are at high risk.”
That isn’t something that’s going to change anytime soon. “There are 700 wildfires going on right now in Canada, with the majority of them uncontrolled,” he says.
“As forests dry and rainfall patterns change, we’re going to see more and more of these fires and more and more smoke exposure to our outdoor workers.”
The concern, Neitzel says, is that wildfire smoke increases the risk of cardiovascular, respiratory, and cerebrovascular issues, creating a stacked threat for outdoor workers.
“If you think about some of the major killers of Americans, cardiovascular disease and stroke, and respiratory disease are all right up there. And those things are all being adversely impacted as we have more and more wildfire smoke.”
Ultimately, Neitzel says, preparation is key.
“These wildfire smoke events are not going away. They’re going to be more and more common. And it’s much easier to deal with these wildfire smoke events if you already have a plan in place.”