Extreme heat events have claimed more lives in the United States over the past 10 years than any other weather-related event. Climate models predict that climate change will lead to an increase in extreme heat events and associated air pollution episodes. Wildfire smoke or during extreme heat events, people may also be exposed to increased levels of harmful air pollutants such as ozone, particulate matter, and aeroallergens such as pollen. The hazards of heat and air pollution tax human health in distinct ways and the ways we protect workers are unique to heat and air pollution.  

In this session, participants will explore what science tells us about the synergistic effects of extreme heat and poor air quality and how to prevent exposure to these hazards effectively.

Meet the presenters

Richie Evoy, Lead Wildland Firefighter Researcher at CDC/NIOSH Western States 

Lieutenant Richard Evoy is an officer in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and works for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Western States Division (WSD) in Denver, CO. He is the lead researcher for wildland firefighter safety and health program at WSD. He received his PhD in Public Health from Oregon State University, a Master of Public Health from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology from Seattle Pacific University. Before joining NIOSH, his dissertation focused on the impact of heat, air pollution, and wildfire smoke on outdoor workers and adult asthmatics in Oregon

Pablo H. Palmández, Agricultural Research and Safety Extensionist, Pacific NW Agriculture and Safety Health Center, University of Washington 

Pablo Palmández has been an Agricultural Research and Safety Extensionist with the PNASH Center since 2007. Mr. Palmández works within the farm community, linking farmers and farmworkers with PNASH’s expertise in agricultural research and safety. Mr. Palmández grew up in a rural coastal agricultural community in the Mexican Pacific Northwest, rising through his academic merit to study integrated pest management. Mr. Palmández combines his scientific, agricultural, and cultural background to provide leadership and education in the Yakima agricultural community.

Kate Suisman, Attorney, Northwest Workers’ Justice Project

Suisman represents workers in employment cases including wage theft and retaliation. She also coordinates two policy groups: the Oregon Coalition to Stop Wage Theft and Safe Jobs Oregon which focuses on worker safety and the National Coalition for Worker Justice, which focuses on advocacy to federal worker enforcement agencies. Before joining the Northwest Workers’ Justice Project, Kate worked to fight wage theft within the day labor community at the Voz Workers’ Rights Education Project in Portland. In her previous work, she served as a law clerk in a trial court in Manhattan and as Chief of Staff to a New York City Council member. Kate has a BA in Spanish Literature from Reed College and a JD from the City University of New York’s Public Interest Law School.

Randall Westmoreland, Industrial Hygienist, Oregon OSHA 

Randall Westmoreland is an Industrial Hygienist with the State of Oregon and has worked for OSHA for over 16 years. While the bulk of his career has been focused on serving businesses as a safety and health consultant, his doctorate is focused on researching the mediating and moderating factors of worker well-being and the relationships between such factors and measured outcomes. Burnout, as a variable, is one such phenomenon that has garnered contemporary attention. In contrast, supporting a worker's sense of accomplishment and autonomy can moderate independent antecedents that lead to burnout.