Wildfire smoke impacts air quality: IU experts available to comment

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — As hundreds of wildfires rage across Canada, the smoke has drifted over parts of the U.S. A distinct haze is visible in skies across across the eastern half of the country, stretching as far west as Indiana. Around the country, local authorities have issued air-quality alerts and warnings.

What is the impact of the wildfires on air quality? What can vulnerable populations do to protect themselves from the potential health impact? Has climate change had an influence on the wildfires? Experts from Indiana University are available to answer these questions and others. For more information, contact Mary Keck at [email protected].

Matthew Cook

Environmental Health and Safety

P: 317-274-4048

E: [email protected]

Matthew Cook is the director of occupational safety and industrial hygiene at Indiana University. He began his career working in the public sector as an environmental regulator, then joined the private industry as an industrial hygiene consultant serving the automobile, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, medical device and energy sectors.

Expertise

Occupational safety and health, industrial hygiene, indoor air quality, water remediation.

Gabriel Filippelli

School of Science/Department of Earth Sciences

P: 317-274-3795

E: [email protected]

Gabriel Filippelli is executive director of the Environmental Resilience Institute. He can discuss the smoke from Canadian wildfires that is impacting the air quality and ultimately the health of individuals across the Northeastern United States. 

Expertise

Earth sciences and human health, remediation technology, sediment geochemistry, chemical weathering, nutrient cycling, paleoceanography, terrestrial metal cycling.

Graham McKeen

Environmental Health & Safety

P: 812-856-5482

E: [email protected]

Graham McKeen is assistant university director of public and environmental health at Indiana University. He is an experienced public and environmental health professional skilled in management, policy analysis, and public and environmental health.

Expertise

Public health, environmental health, food safety, communicable disease, COVID-19, water quality, pest management.

Philip S. Stevens

P: 812-856-0863

E: [email protected]

Philip Stevens is Rudy Professor and associate dean for faculty affairs at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. His research is focused on the characterization of the chemical mechanisms in the atmosphere that influence indoor air quality, regional air quality and global climate change.

Expertise

Atmospheric chemistry, environmental toxicology and chemistry, indoor air quality, regional air quality, global climate change.