Lucas Henneman, PhD

Research Project:
Fossil Fuels to Wildfires: How Shifting Particulate Composition will Impact Respiratory Disease Under Climate Change

Grant Awarded:

Public Health and Policy Research Award

Research Topics:

air pollution
modeling
public health
risk factors

Exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5) harms health, but the sources that contribute to PM2.5 have changed significantly over the past 15 years. We expect the sources to change in the future. For example, fossil fuel sources like power plants now contribute a substantially smaller portion of total PM2.5 than in years past, whereas wildfire PM2.5 has been increasing. In this study, we will use estimates of exposure to PM2.5 sources to identify which sources are associated with the greatest health impacts. In addition, we will investigate how changes in PM2.5 sources will contribute to negative health impacts in the year 2050. Our study will use air pollution-health relationships that consider where the PM2.5 originated, addressing a longstanding practice used by policymakers of treating the PM2.5 from different sources the same in policy analyses. We will establish a framework for considering air pollution sources to help prioritize public health interventions.

Deborah Brown Public Health Public Policy Award

Page last updated: September 28, 2026

Lucas Henneman, PhD

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