The air we breathe has a significant impact on the health and wellness of people in Canada and around the world. Lung health can be affected by many factors such as cigarette smoking, e-cigarettes, cannabis inhalation, viral infections, and environmental influences like wildfires and air pollution.
July 18, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario – Canadian Institutes of Health Research
The air we breathe has a significant impact on the health and wellness of people in Canada and around the world. Lung health can be affected by many factors such as cigarette smoking, e-cigarettes, cannabis inhalation, viral infections, and environmental influences like wildfires and air pollution.
Threats to lung health are inequitable, disproportionately affecting certain groups and communities. For example, people living in rural, remote, or northern communities are more often exposed to poor air quality caused by wildfires. Also, women with lung health conditions are misdiagnosed at higher rates than men, delaying their access to necessary care.
Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced that the Government of Canada and partners are investing $19.3 million to support nine research teams to study ongoing, new, and emerging threats to lung health. The teams will study a range of lung health concerns, including the impact of poor air quality and wildfire smoke, treatments for lung cancer, and the effects of vaping.
A team led by Dr. Christopher Carlsten at the University of British Columbia will focus on the long-term health effects of wildfire smoke and how exposure to wildfire smoke affects people differently based on age, sex, genetics, exercise habits, and socioeconomic status. Their findings will guide public health advice during wildfire emergencies to help keep people safe.
Dr. David G. Hammond at the University of Waterloo will lead a team following 1,000 young people living in Canada over two years to learn more about their vaping behaviours and the health impacts of vaping. Another team led by Dr. Pamela Ohashi at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is working to optimize immunotherapies to treat lung cancer.
The Government of Canada is providing funding for this investment through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Lung Association, the Cancer Research Society, GSK, Heart & Stroke, and Mitacs, and in collaboration with the Canadian Thoracic Society, Children’s Healthcare Canada, Cystic Fibrosis Canada, and Health Canada.
“As wildfires become more common in Canada due to climate change, it is more important than ever to address the health effects caused by exposure to wildfire smoke. These research teams’ initiatives will protect people’s lungs against poor air quality and other threats, including cancer, vaping, asthma, and inflammation.”
The Honourable Mark Holland
Minister of Health
“Our need to breathe is fundamental to life. Healthy lungs enable the delivery of oxygen to every part of our body. CIHR is enthusiastically collaborating with a wide range of valued partners to generate evidence that will inform innovative interventions to protect and promote lung health. This will ultimately improve the wellbeing of people living in Canada.”
Dr. Fei-Fei Liu, Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Cancer Research, and
Dr. Ariane Marelli, Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health
“We are thrilled to have support for our work on understanding the long-term effects of wildfire smoke. Unfortunately, these particulate-rich exposures are anticipated to increase and we need knowledge about how our communities will be affected in order to best target interventions to protect them.”
Dr. Christopher Carlsten
Professor of Medicine, University of British Columbia
The lungs are a vital organ of the body that affect our health in many ways.
Poor air quality can damage lung tissue and cause inflammation throughout the body, which can sometimes lead to strokes, heart attacks, infections, and headaches.
Individuals at greater risk of health effects from wildfire smoke include those with cardiovascular or respiratory disease, older adults, children under 18 years of age, pregnant women, outdoor workers, and those of lower socioeconomic status.
Cigarette smoking is a major cause of preventable deaths and hospitalizations, and there is a need for evidence on the health effects of e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine-delivery devices.
Lung cancers among people who have never smoked are increasing, and lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Canada.
Over the last five years, through CIHR, the Government of Canada has invested more than $273M in respiratory health research.
TheTeam Grants in Lung Healthrepresent the single largest investment in lung health research in CIHR’s history.
Matthew Kronberg
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Mark Holland
Minister of Health
343-552-5654
At theCanadian Institutes of Health Research(CIHR) we know that research has the power to change lives. As Canada's health research investment agency, we collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system.
