Discussing Lungs on Fire: Experimental lab methods and administrative health data analysis

About this episode

This episode discusses the experimental lab methods and administrative health data analysis related to the health impacts of wildfire smoke.

As wildfires grow more intense and frequent in British Columbia, some of the best and brightest minds in lung health research in British Columbia have come together to collaborate on ‘Lungs On Fire’. This 5-year, 2 million dollar grant funded by CIHR (Canadian Institutes of Health Research) will further investigate the long-term health effects of wildfire smoke and how wildfire smoke exposure can impact individuals differently across 3 research pillars. The research produced through Lungs On Fire will focus on exploring wildfire smoke exposures, measuring the impacts of air pollution on lung disease (asthma and COPD), identifying lung cancer risk from pollution among non-smokers, and evaluating and catering health messages for the public. Over the summer, Airwaves & Airways will be featuring an episode focused on each of the 3 research pillars as we pull the curtain back on the research process and dive into this exciting new investigation that will shine a new light on the health impacts of wildfire smoke. This episode focuses on the experimental lab methods and administrative health data analysis pillar of the project. To learn more, we chat with Dr. Christopher Carlsten…

People in this episode

Host: BC Lung Foundation

Guests: Dr. Christopher Carlsten, Dr. Stephanie Cleland

Topics covered

• wildfire smoke
• lung health
• health research
• air pollution
• lung disease
• data analysis

Keywords

• wildfire smoke
• lung health
• asthma
• COPD
• lung cancer
• air pollution
• health research

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BC Lung Foundation, CIHR

Books & works: Lungs On Fire

Places: British Columbia

More episodes of Airwaves & Airways

• Discussing Lungs on Fire: Investigating decision making when faced with wildfire smoke · March 26, 2026 · 27 min
• Discussing Lungs on Fire: Socioeconomic factors that lead to development of lung disease · October 26, 2025 · 25 min
• Exploring the impacts of firefighting and respiratory health · May 8, 2025 · 34 min
• Understanding tuberculosis and overcoming challenges in the ongoing crisis · April 6, 2025 · 25 min
• Shaping future research through patient-researcher synergies · January 30, 2025 · 43 min
• Supporting British Columbians in their journey to quit smoking through QuitNow · January 16, 2025 · 30 min