| Title: | Environmental Particulate Matter Levels during 2017 Large Forest Fires and Megafires in the Center Region of Portugal: A Public Health Concern? |
| Author(s): | Oliveira M; Delerue-Matos C; Pereira MC; Morais S; |
| Address: | "REQUIMTE/LAQV, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Instituto Politecnico do Porto, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal. LEPABE, Departamento de Engenharia Quimica, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal" |
| Journal Title: | Int J Environ Res Public Health |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1660-4601 (Electronic) 1661-7827 (Print) 1660-4601 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "This work characterizes the dimension and the exceptionality of 2017 large- and mega-fires that occurred in the center region of Portugal through the assessment of their impact on the ambient levels of particulate matter (PM(10) and PM(2.5)), retrieved from local monitoring stations, and the associated public health risks. PM(10) and PM(2.5) concentrations were increased during the occurrence of large fires and megafires, with daily concentrations exceeding the European/national guidelines in 7-14 and 1-12 days of 2017 (up to 704 microg/m(3) for PM(10) and 46 microg/m(3) for PM(2.5)), respectively. PM(10) concentrations were correlated with total burned area (0.500 < r < 0.949; p > 0.05) and with monthly total burned area/distance(2) (0.500 < r < 0.667; p > 0.05). The forest fires of 2017 took the life of 112 citizens. A total of 474 cases of hospital admissions due to cardiovascular diseases and 3524 cases of asthma incidence symptoms per 100,000 individuals at risk were assessed due to exposure to 2017 forest fires. Real-time and in situ PM methodologies should be combined with protection action plans to reduce public health risks. Portuguese rural stations should monitor other health-relevant pollutants (e.g., carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds) released from wildfires to allow performing more robust and comprehensive measurements that will allow a better assessment of the potential health risks for the exposed populations" |
| Keywords: | Air Pollutants/*analysis Asthma/epidemiology Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology Environmental Monitoring Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data Humans Particulate Matter/*analysis Portugal Public Health *Wildfires WHO AirQ+ model air pollution fore; |
| Notes: | "MedlineOliveira, Marta Delerue-Matos, Cristina Pereira, Maria Carmo Morais, Simone eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Switzerland 2020/02/12 Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Feb 6; 17(3):1032. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17031032" |
