Wildfires taint air with microscopic poison particles
Monstrous wildfires not only devastate communities and kill dozens each year in the USA, but they also release a toxic brew of hazardous pollution, a new study found.
That pollution, often in the form of microscopic specks known as aerosols, is “a hazard to human health, particularly to the lungs and heart,” said study lead author Greg Huey of the Georgia Institute of Technology.
The study found that fires emit these fine particles — which are much smaller than a grain of sand, or up to the diameter of a human hair — into the air at a rate three times as high as emissions standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Some particulate matter contains oxidants that cause genetic damage. The particles can drift over long distances and pollute populated areas, where they’re inhaled by people.
Uncontrolled wildfires burn much more biomass ( trees, bushes and other organic material) per area than do intentionally set prescribed burns, and they pollute at a much higher rate, the study found.
Wildfires belch out methanol, benzene, ozone precursors and other noxious emissions, scientists said — as if an oil refinery went up in flames. That’s not so far- fetched, Huey said, since oil and other fossil fuels come from similar ancient materials.
The study was based on airborne research missions during three major wildfires in 2013, including the Rim Fire, the third- largest wildfire in California history. Instruments on board NASA and U. S. Department of Energy aircraft allowed teams of researchers to measure chemicals and particles in real time and pull in masses of data.
“We actually went to measure, right above the fire, what was coming out,” Huey said.
This year, wildfires have charred more than 2.4 million acres across the USA, the National Interagency Fire Center said.