Fires and Air Pollution

By Samantha Gleissner

Air pollution is one of the leading causes of illness and death, and according to Science Today is responsible for an astonishing 40% of deaths worldwide. Depending on your source, it is estimated that human actions are responsible for between 10-100% of air pollution, with the lower end of the scale accounting for direct pollutants alone, while the upper end of the scale encompasses all the pollutants that would not exist if humans were to be removed from the equation. While the human contribution to pollution is staggering, there are other contributors to air pollution which may or may not be human caused depending on how far down you dig into the event. Wildfires are a big contributor to air contamination, with one source stating that wildfires between June and August may contribute as much pollution to the ozone as all human emissions from industry in the US for the same time period. However, it is also important to note that it is believed that a significant number of wildfires are also human caused.

Wildfires can produce CO₂, which according to the EPA can exceed the limit set for the public health standard for ozone in the US, meaning that during a wildfire air pollution can reach dangerous levels. The dangerous level of air pollution can definitely affect human and animal health, and not just right in the burn zone. Wildfire smoke has been known to travel 4,000+ miles, contaminating air in states and even other countries that are not anywhere near the actual flames. It’s a fairly common misconception that if you aren’t in the immediate risk zone for wildfires then you don’t need to be concerned. When large wildfire strikes an area firebrands and embers can travel several miles to ignite new fires miles from the original blaze. This means the danger zone expands far beyond the immediate area, but smoke and other pollutants such as ozone, ash, CO₂, and aerosol particulates can travel literally thousands of miles, a great deal further than you might expect. I remember a couple years back when there were fires in Canada and Alaska and I was back home in Washington visiting family, the sky was so smoggy I could have sworn the fires were nearby, but it was all from hundreds or thousands of miles away. It’s important to realize that you don’t have to see or smell the smoke for the pollutants to cause damage to your body, but if you do see it and smell it, it’s almost certainly effecting your health and you should take appropriate precautions.

It is important to understand that although breathing in smog and other air pollutants can be detrimental to your health certain demographic groups are at more risk than others and should take higher precaution during wildfire seasons. The young, the elderly, pregnant women, those with asthma and other conditions that limit your ability to extract oxygen from the air may be at higher risk than the general population. While it is recommended that all people avoid going outdoors when air pollution levels are high during wildfire season, it is necessary for higher risk groups to take extra precaution and be extra vigilant.

It’s very important to keep up with your local air quality conditions, like many other warning systems air quality ratings can help keep you safe in the event of unhealthy air pollution from wildfires, industrial waste and other air toxins. If the air pollution is high in your area you can help minimize your health risks by keeping doors and windows shut to reduce clean air contamination, if you have an air conditioning unit you can close the fresh air intake and run the system to help clean the air inside your home. If you are at higher risk or have strong warnings in your area you may want to avoid outdoor activities to reduce your exposure to the contaminated air. If you take the appropriate precautions you can reduce your and your family’s health risks.

For more information on what you can do to reduce your pollution exposure and health risks you can visit:

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/wildfires/facts.asp

http://public.health.oregon.gov/preparedness/prepare/pages/prepareforwildfire.aspx

For Daily updates on ozone conditions and active burning including controlled burns you can check out these links:

www.airnow.gov

www.wrapfets.org

For more information about pollution and wildfire you can visit:

http://www2.ucar.edu/atmosnews/news/916/wildfires-cause-ozone-pollution-violate-health-standards-new-study-shows

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/ContributionPollution/

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070813162438.htm

http://www.cleanerandgreener.org/resources/air-pollution.html