Southport air quality ‘dangerous’ after Moor fires
HUGE moor fires at Winter Hill and Saddleworth Moor caused dangerous air quality levels as far as Southport, a new study has found.
A team of researchers, led by the University of Leeds, found that the blazes caused poor air quality over a large region, exposing five million people to levels above those recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The huge woodland fires occurred in 2018 near the Lancashire and Greater Manchester border and were battled by more than 100 firefighters and soldiers, with many people evacutated from their homes.
Huge plumes of smoke were sent across the north west, reaching areas including Southport and Wigan, almost 50 miles away. Researchers say that five million people were exposed to dangerous particulates, known as PM2.5, for at least one day between June 23-30. They also believe that nine deaths were brought forward as a result of the fire.
The authors of a paper published in Environmental Research Letters estimated the economic impact of the fires to be £21.1 million.
They said: “It’s clear from this study that the pollution from wildfires can have a significant effect on public health.
“The smoke contains very high levels of toxic particulate matter aerosol, which can be transported long distances.
“When this smoke passes over urban areas, it adds to an already polluted environment and can cause very poor air quality.
“We should be aware that the smoke from wildfires can travel long distances, and can damage people’s health, even far from the fires. Although people may not have been able to smell smoke, particulate matter was very high in areas far away from the fires, such as Southport and Wigan.
“Particulate pollution from the fires substantially degraded air quality over the north-west of England, leading the pollution levels much above the recommended levels.”