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The article discusses adverse health effects and public health impact related to wildfire smoke inhalation, focusing on a study by Colleen E. Reid and colleagues which linked wildfire smoke with increased mortality rates and multiple respiratory conditions, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, through the review of several epidemiological studies. Topics include the tendency for the studies to have many natural biases and lack of consistent evidence for specific causes of mortality.

The article discusses a study by public health researcher David Rich and colleagues, reported in the current issue, on the association of air pollution exposure during the different months of a woman's pregnancy with changes in the baby's birth weight. It notes the study used the unusual situation of the temporary drop in air pollution levels achieved during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.