Today, nearly 50 million Americans live in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)—zones where wildfire meets suburbia, and ordinary wildfires can escalate into full-blown conflagrations. In these extreme events, homes and their contents become fuel, driving structure-to-structure fire spread and releasing a toxic mix of chemicals far more hazardous than those from natural biomass burns. Heavy metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other pollutants are propelled into the air via contaminated ash and smoke, posing serious health risks to first responders and residents alike.

In this episode of Disaster Discussions, we spotlight a groundbreaking research initiative led by IBHS collaborators from UC Berkeley and funded by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). For the first time, scientists are quantifying the emissions produced during large-scale conflagrations—work that’s reshaping our understanding of air pollution, public health, and climate resilience.

This month's guests include: Dr. Nathan Kreisberg, Senior Research Scientist for Aerosol Dynamics Inc, Dr. Allen Goldstein, Professor for the Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Dept of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management, and Michael Milazzo, Graduate Student Researcher & PHD Candidate, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.