Wildfire Smoke and Firefighter Safety: A Review of Toxic Particle Exposure, Clothing Performance and Health Implications

ABSTRACT In recent years, wildfires have escalated into a global crisis, with the United States witnessing a particularly alarming increase in both frequency and severity. Wildfires generate substantial amounts of smoke containing a wide range of toxic and carcinogenic substances, posing significant exposure risks to firefighters during suppression operations. While previous studies have explored individual aspects of smoke toxicity, firefighter exposure and the performance of wildland firefighters' personal protective clothing (PPC), comprehensive reviews integrating toxicological insights with PPC material‐specific factors are notably lacking. This review critically examines the exposure risks of wildland firefighters to smoke particles and their toxic components, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are generated from the incomplete combustion of biomass during wildfires. A significant public health concern arises from the elevated cancer risk among wildland firefighters, attributed to their recurrent exposure to these hazardous substances during fire suppression activities. An analysis of potential carcinogenic exposure pathways reveals that dermal absorption plays a predominant role, with PAHs and other substances accumulating on and penetrating protective gear. Furthermore, the factors affecting the efficacy of firefighter protective clothing in mitigating carcinogenic exposure are evaluated. The filtration efficiency of toxic particles correlates with the pore size of the fabric, while the accumulation of these particles is affected by the surface texture. The findings of this study underscore the critical need to optimize the properties of the materials and to develop advanced fabrics with self‐cleaning or decontaminating surfaces to reduce exposure to hazardous substances during wildfire response efforts.