"With cigarette smoking declining and fire frequency on the rise, wildfire smoke may emerge as a key driver of cancers in the United States, new research finds."
"SAN DIEGO — Extended exposure to wildfire smoke may increase the risk of several types of cancer, according to a study presented Tuesday at an American Association for Cancer Research meeting.
The research, not yet peer-reviewed, found that people who were exposed to higher levels of wildfire smoke over the previous three years were at increased risk of lung, colorectal, breast, bladder and blood cancers. The study was based on a long-term database following more than 91,000 people.
As wildfires worsen and increase in frequency due to climate change, the research’s lead author suggested the smoke may emerge as a key driver of cancers. The work adds to a growing body of evidence of the harm associated with wildfires, ranging from increased risk of acute health harms such as asthma, to cardiovascular risks such as heart disease or stroke. A study in the Lancet Planetary Health found long-term exposure to wildfires may be linked to an increased risk of brain and lung tumors.
The latest study suggests that at current levels of smoke exposure, 19 lung cancer cases in every 100,000 individuals per year could be attributed to wildfires, said Shuguang Leng, a molecular cancer epidemiologist at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center and the senior author of the study."
Carolyn Y. Johnson and Ben Noll report for the Washington Post April 21, 2026.
