In the wake of recent historic fires in Canada and the United States, a growing body of research is showing how harmful that smoke can be to human health. But less is known about how humans behave in response to smoke, according to Paige Fischer, associate professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS). And understanding how and when people make decisions to limit their smoke exposure is key to developing programs and policies that can best support and augment individual choices, she said.

Fischer and SEAS doctoral student Caroline Beckman led the first systematic review of available scientific literature on the subject. The review, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, reveals opportunities for this developing field and is helping steer the U-M team’s ongoing work called the Xtreme Smoke Project, which is supported by a NASA grant.

They note that human behavior is one of the best tools to reduce exposure to the growing threat of wildfire smoke, and knowing what motivates people to take the initiative to protect themselves—like, how bad does smoke have to be for people to take initiative?—will help researchers understand when policy needs to intervene and how.

Read the full Q&A on the Michigan News website.