scholarly journals Dante’s kindling box

2017 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-23
Author(s):  
Josiah Marquis ◽  
Meriem Benlamri ◽  
Elizabeth Dent ◽  
Tharmitha Suyeshkumar
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Hazardous Air Pollutants ◽  
Area Burned ◽  
The Relationship

Almost half of the Canadian landscape is made up of forests, but the amount of forest surface area burned every year has been growing steadily since 1960.1 This can be problematic due to the effects that forest fires have not only on the local environment but also on the globe as a whole. A forest fire or vegetation fire is defined as any open fire of vegetation such as savannah, forest, agriculture, or peat that is initiated by humans or nature.2 Vegetation fires contribute heavily to air pollution and climate change and are in turn exacerbated by them as well. Air pollution increases due to emissions from these fires, which contain 90-95% carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide as well as methane and other volatile compounds.2 Emissions from forest fires also contribute to global greenhouse gases and aerosol particles (biomass burning organic aerosols),2 leading to indirect and direct consequences to human health. In contrast to biomass burning for household heating and cooking, catastrophic events of forest fires and sweeping grassland fires result in unique exposures and health consequences. In this case report, the relationship between environmental hazardous air pollutants and the potential physiological and psychological health effects associated with the forest fire that affected Fort McMurray, AB in May 2016 are considered.

scholarly journals The modification effect of temperature on the relationship between air pollutants and daily incidence of influenza in Ningbo, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Zhang ◽  
Yujie Meng ◽  
Hejia Song ◽  
Ran Niu ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Distributed Lag ◽  
Modification Effect ◽  
Incidence Risk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Although exposure to air pollution has been linked to many health issues, few studies have quantified the modification effect of temperature on the relationship between air pollutants and daily incidence of influenza in Ningbo, China. Methods The data of daily incidence of influenza and the relevant meteorological data and air pollution data in Ningbo from 2014 to 2017 were retrieved. Low, medium and high temperature layers were stratified by the daily mean temperature with 25th and 75th percentiles. The potential modification effect of temperature on the relationship between air pollutants and daily incidence of influenza in Ningbo was investigated through analyzing the effects of air pollutants stratified by temperature stratum using distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM). Stratified analysis by sex and age were also conducted. Results Overall, a 10 μg/m3 increment of O3, PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 could increase the incidence risk of influenza with the cumulative relative risk of 1.028 (95% CI 1.007, 1.050), 1.061 (95% CI 1.004, 1.122), 1.043 (95% CI 1.003, 1.085), and 1.118 (95% CI 1.028, 1.216), respectively. Male and aged 7–17 years were more sensitive to air pollutants. Through the temperature stratification analysis, we found that temperature could modify the impacts of air pollution on daily incidence of influenza with high temperature exacerbating the impact of air pollutants. At high temperature layer, male and the groups aged 0–6 years and 18–64 years were more sensitive to air pollution. Conclusion Temperature modified the relationship between air pollution and daily incidence of influenza and high temperature would exacerbate the effects of air pollutants in Ningbo.

scholarly journals Empirical Research on Climate Warming Risks for Forest Fires: A Case Study of Grade I Forest Fire Danger Zone, Sichuan Province, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7773
Author(s):  
San Wang ◽  
Hongli Li ◽  
Shukui Niu
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Meteorological Factors ◽  
Sichuan Province ◽  
Danger Zone ◽  
Climatic Regions ◽  
Area Burned ◽  
Forest Fire Danger

The Sichuan province is a key area for forest and grassland fire prevention in China. Forest resources contribute significantly not only to the biological gene pool in the mid latitudes but also in reducing the concentration of greenhouse gases and slowing down global warming. To study and forecast forest fire change trends in a grade I forest fire danger zone in the Sichuan province under climate change, the dynamic impacts of meteorological factors on forest fires in different climatic regions were explored and a model between them was established by using an integral regression in this study. The results showed that the dominant factor behind the area burned was wind speed in three climatic regions, particularly in Ganzi and A’ba with plateau climates. In Ganzi and A’ba, precipitation was mainly responsible for controlling the number of forest fires while it was mainly affected by temperature in Panzhihua and Liangshan with semi-humid subtropical mountain climates. Moreover, the synergistic effect of temperature, precipitation and wind speed was responsible in basin mid-subtropical humid climates with Chengdu as the center and the influence of temperature was slightly higher. The differential forest fire response to meteorological factors was observed in different climatic regions but there was some regularity. The influence of monthly precipitation in the autumn on the area burned in each climatic region was more significant than in other seasons, which verified the hypothesis of a precipitation lag effect. Climate warming and the combined impact of warming effects may lead to more frequent and severe fires.

Associations Between Ambient Particulate Air Pollution and Cognitive Function in Indonesian Children Living in Forest Fire–Prone Provinces

2021 ◽  
pp. 101053952110317
Author(s):  
Bin Jalaludin ◽  
Frances L. Garden ◽  
Agata Chrzanowska ◽  
Budi Haryanto ◽  
Christine T. Cowie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Individual Factors ◽  
Aerodynamic Diameter ◽  
Particulate Air Pollution ◽  
Multivariable Models ◽  
Particulate Matter 2.5

Smoke from forest fires can reach hazardous levels for extended periods of time. We aimed to determine if there is an association between particulate matter ≤2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) and living in a forest fire–prone province and cognitive function. We used data from the Indonesian Family and Life Survey. Cognitive function was assessed by the Ravens Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM). We used regression models to estimate associations between PM2.5 and living in a forest fire–prone province and cognitive function. In multivariable models, we found very small positive relationships between PM2.5 levels and RCPM scores (PM2.5 level at year of survey: β = 0.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.01% to 0.19%). There were no differences in RCPM scores for children living in forest fire–prone provinces compared with children living in non-forest fire–prone provinces (mean difference = −1.16%, 95% CI = −2.53% to 0.21%). RCPM scores were lower for children who had lived in a forest fire–prone province all their lives compared with children who lived in a non-forest fire–prone province all their life (β = −1.50%; 95% CI = −2.94% to −0.07%). Living in a forest fire–prone province for a prolonged period of time negatively affected cognitive scores after adjusting for individual factors.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic inequalities and exposure to traffic-related air pollution in the city of São Paulo, Brazil

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mateus Habermann ◽  
Míriam Souza ◽  
Rogério Prado ◽  
Nelson Gouveia
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City

Air pollution is a leading public health concern. In addition, poor populations have been reported as showing increased exposure to such pollution. The current study thus aimed to evaluate the socioeconomic status of the population exposed to vehicle-related air pollution in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The study used data from the 2010 Census on head-of-household’s mean monthly income and the percentage of households connected to the sewage system. Exposure to air pollutants was estimated according to traffic density in the census tract plus a 200m surrounding buffer. The relationship between exposure and socioeconomic variables was analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis test. Exposure increased with increasing socioeconomic status (p < 0.001). The population with the highest socioeconomic status lives in the most polluted areas of the city. However, place of residence alone is not capable of measuring exposure. The study suggests that future epidemiological studies include other indicators of vulnerability.

scholarly journals Pre-monsoon air quality over Lumbini, a world heritage site along the Himalayan foothills

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipesh Rupakheti ◽  
Bhupesh Adhikary ◽  
Puppala S. Praveen ◽  
Maheswar Rupakheti ◽  
Shichang Kang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
World Heritage ◽  
World Heritage Site ◽  
Pollution Level ◽  
Pollution Transport ◽  
Heritage Site

Abstract. Lumbini, in southern Nepal, is a UNESCO world heritage site of universal value as the birthplace of Buddha. Poor air quality in Lumbini and surrounding regions is a great concern for public health as well as for preservation, protection and promotion of Buddhist heritage and culture. We present here results from measurements of ambient concentrations of key air pollutants (PM, BC, CO, O3) in Lumbini, first of its kind for Lumbini, conducted during an intensive measurement period of three months (April–June 2013) in the pre-monsoon season. The measurements were carried out as a part of the international air pollution measurement campaign; SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley – Atmospheric Brown Clouds). The ranges of hourly average concentrations were: PM10: 10.5–604.0 µg m−3, PM2.5: 6.1–272.2 µg m−3; BC: 0.3–30.0 µg m−3; CO: 125.0–1430.0 ppbv; and O3: 1.0–118.1 ppbv. These levels are comparable to other very heavily polluted sites throughout South Asia. The 24-h average PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations exceeded the WHO guideline very frequently (94 % and 85 % of the sampled period, respectively), which implies significant health risks for the residents and visitors in the region. These air pollutants exhibited clear diurnal cycles with high values in the morning and evening. During the study period, the worst air pollution episodes were mainly due to agro-residue burning and regional forest fires combined with meteorological conditions conducive of pollution transport to Lumbini. Fossil fuel combustion also contributed significantly, accounting for more than half of the ambient BC concentration according to aerosol spectral light absorption coefficients obtained in Lumbini. WRF-STEM, a regional chemical transport model, was used to simulate the meteorology and the concentrations of pollutants. The model was able to reproduce the variation in the pollutant concentrations well; however, estimated values were 1.5 to 5 times lower than the observed concentrations for CO and PM10 respectively. Regionally tagged CO tracers showed the majority of CO came from the upwind region of Ganges valley. The model was also used to examine the chemical composition of the aerosol mixture, indicating that organic carbon was the main constituent of fine mode PM2.5, followed by mineral dust. Given the high pollution level, there is a clear and urgent need for setting up a network of long-term air quality monitoring stations in the greater Lumbini region.

scholarly journals Artrite Reumatoide e a Poluição do Ar

UNICIÊNCIAS ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-200
Author(s):  
Dayane Dos Santos Souza Magalhães ◽  
Leticia Rosa Espírito Santo de Freitas ◽  
Maria Amélia Dos Santos Peres Santos Souza ◽  
Vander Fernandes ◽  
Walkiria Shimoya-Bittencourt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Activity Index ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Unknown Etiology ◽  
World Population ◽  
Artrite Reumatoide ◽  
The Relationship

A artrite reumatoide é uma doença inflamatória, crônica, autoimune, sistêmica e progressiva com etiologia ainda desconhecida, que causa danos progressivos ao sistema musculoesquelético. Esta doença atinge aproximadamente 0,5% a 1% da população mundial, predomina no sexo feminino e acomete todas as faixas etárias com maior prevalência entre 40-60 anos. A atividade da doença é avaliada pelo Índice de Atividade da Doença (DAS28) analisando 28 articulações. Estudos demonstram que a poluição atmosférica está associada aos agravos à saúde humana e à perda de qualidade de vida. Este estudo teve como objetivo relatar o papel da poluição atmosférica na artrite reumatoide, através de uma revisão narrativa de literatura, a partir das bases de dados PubMed e Scielo. Incluíram-se artigos nos idiomas inglês e português publicados em periódicos, nacionais e internacionais, acerca da temática da pesquisa. A relação entre o desenvolvimento da AR e diferentes poluentes atmosféricos foi analisada em diversos estudos, que demostraram associação entre diferentes poluentes atmosféricos e o desenvolvimento da doença, no entanto, nenhum estudo publicado até a data atual, avaliou a relação com a exacerbação da atividade da doença.   Palavras-chave: Artrite Reumatoide. Poluição do Ar. Doenças Autoimunes.   Abstract Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory, chronic, autoimmune, systemic and progressive disease with a still unknown etiology that causes progressive damage to the musculoskeletal system. This disease affects approximately 0.5% to 1% of the world population, predominates in females and affects all age groups with a higher prevalence between 40-60 years. The disease activity is assessed by the Disease Activity Index (DAS28) analyzing 28 joints. Studies show that air pollution is associated with damage to human health and loss of quality of life. This study aimed to report the role of air pollution in rheumatoid arthritis, through a literature narrative review, using the PubMed and Scielo databases. Articles in English and Portuguese published in national and international journals about the research theme were included. The relationship between the RA development and different air pollutants has been analyzed in several studies, which showed an association between different air pollutants and the development of the disease, however, no study published to date has evaluated the relationship with the disease activity exacerbation.   Keywords: Rheumatoid Arthritis. Air Pollution. Autoimmune Diseases.    

scholarly journals Analysis PM10 and Visibility During Forest Fire in Palangka Raya

2021 ◽  
Vol 893 (1) ◽  
pp. 012002
Author(s):  
A. Indrawati ◽  
D. F. Andarini ◽  
N. Cholianawati ◽  
Sumaryati
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fire ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Pm10 Concentration ◽  
The Other ◽  
Data Filtering ◽  
Coefficient Corrélation ◽  
High Bias ◽  
R Value ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Regression Pattern

Abstract Forest fires have an impact on air quality and visibility. Visibility can be associated with a highly visual indicator of air pollution. This research aims to analyze the relationship between the PM10 concentration and visibility during the forest firest events and normal conditions in Palangkaraya from 2000 to 2014 by using a regression method. The relative humidity data was used to filter the PM10 and visibility. Furthermore, the equation resulted from the regression analysis was used to predict PM10 concentration in Palangka Raya. The result showed that the regression pattern tends to form a logarithmic function. Specifically, without filtering data, the coefficient correlation (r-value) during the forest fire events and normal conditions are 0.69 and 0.5, respectively. Meanwhile, a data filtering method gives a higher relationship between PM10 and visibility, with the r-value of 0.7 for the forest fire events and 0.68 for the normal condition. On the other hand, the prediction of PM10 concentration indicates a high bias value due to the other influenced factors that have not been included in this study.

scholarly journals Production of peroxy nitrates in boreal biomass burning plumes over Canada during the BORTAS campaign

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 3485-3497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcella Busilacchio ◽  
Piero Di Carlo ◽  
Eleonora Aruffo ◽  
Fabio Biancofiore ◽  
Cesare Dari Salisburgo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Chemical Mechanism ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Fire Plumes ◽  
Peroxy Nitrates ◽  
In Fire ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The observations collected during the BOReal forest fires on Tropospheric oxidants over the Atlantic using Aircraft and Satellites (BORTAS) campaign in summer 2011 over Canada are analysed to study the impact of forest fire emissions on the formation of ozone (O3) and total peroxy nitrates ∑PNs, ∑ROONO2). The suite of measurements on board the BAe-146 aircraft, deployed in this campaign, allows us to calculate the production of O3 and of  ∑PNs, a long-lived NOx reservoir whose concentration is supposed to be impacted by biomass burning emissions. In fire plumes, profiles of carbon monoxide (CO), which is a well-established tracer of pyrogenic emission, show concentration enhancements that are in strong correspondence with a significant increase of concentrations of ∑PNs, whereas minimal increase of the concentrations of O3 and NO2 is observed. The ∑PN and O3 productions have been calculated using the rate constants of the first- and second-order reactions of volatile organic compound (VOC) oxidation. The ∑PN and O3 productions have also been quantified by 0-D model simulation based on the Master Chemical Mechanism. Both methods show that in fire plumes the average production of ∑PNs and O3 are greater than in the background plumes, but the increase of ∑PN production is more pronounced than the O3 production. The average ∑PN production in fire plumes is from 7 to 12 times greater than in the background, whereas the average O3 production in fire plumes is from 2 to 5 times greater than in the background. These results suggest that, at least for boreal forest fires and for the measurements recorded during the BORTAS campaign, fire emissions impact both the oxidized NOy and O3,  but (1 ∑PN production is amplified significantly more than O3 production and (2) in the forest fire plumes the ratio between the O3 production and the ∑PN production is lower than the ratio evaluated in the background air masses, thus confirming that the role played by the ∑PNs produced during biomass burning is significant in the O3 budget. The implication of these observations is that fire emissions in some cases, for example boreal forest fires and in the conditions reported here, may influence more long-lived precursors of O3 than short-lived pollutants, which in turn can be transported and eventually diluted in a wide area.

scholarly journals Seasonal and diurnal variability in air pollutants and short-lived climate forcers measured at the Rwanda Climate Observatory

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Langley DeWitt ◽  
Jimmy Gasore ◽  
Maheswar Rupakheti ◽  
Katherine E. Potter ◽  
Ronald G. Prinn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
East Africa ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Ozone Concentration ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Pollution Transport ◽  
Diurnal Variability ◽  
Air Masses

Abstract. Air pollution is still largely unstudied in sub-Saharan Africa, resulting in a gap in scientific understanding of emissions, atmospheric processes, and impacts of air pollutants in this region. The Rwanda Climate Observatory, a joint partnership between MIT and the government of Rwanda, has been measuring ambient concentrations of key long-lived greenhouse gases and short-lived climate-forcing pollutants (CO2, CO, CH4, BC, O3) with state-of-the-art instruments on the summit of Mt. Mugogo (1.586° S, 29.566° E, 2590 m above sea level) since May 2015. Rwanda is a small, mountainous, and densely populated country in equatorial East Africa, currently undergoing rapid development but still at less than 20 % urbanization. The position and meteorology of Rwanda is such that the emissions transported from both the northern and southern African biomass burning seasons affect BC, CO, and O3 concentrations in Rwanda. Black carbon concentrations during Rwanda's two dry seasons, which coincide with the two biomass burning seasons, are higher at Mt. Mugogo than in major European cities. Higher BC baseline concentrations at Mugogo are loosely correlated with fire radiative power data for the region acquired with MODIS satellite instrument. Spectral aerosol absorption measured with a dual-spot Aethalometer also varies in different seasons, likely due to change in types of fuel burned and direction of pollution transport to the site. Ozone concentration was found to be higher in air masses from southern Africa than from northern Africa during their respective biomass burning seasons. These higher ozone concentration in air masses from the south could be indicative of more anthropogenic emissions mixed with the biomass burning emissions from southern Africa as Rwanda is downwind of major East African capital cities in this season. During the rainy season, local emitting activities (e.g., cooking, transportation, trash burning) remain steady, regional biomass burning is low, and transport distances are shorter as rainout of pollution occurs regularly. Thus local pollution at Mugogo can be estimated during this time period. Understanding and quantification of the percent contributions of regional and local emissions is essential to guide policy in the region. Our measurements indicate that air pollution is a current and growing problem in equatorial East Africa that deserves immediate attention.

scholarly journals Analysing the Severity of Coronavirus Infection in Air Pollution: Evidence-Based Study From Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulnoor Ali Jazem Ghanim
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
The Body ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Death Rates ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Pm 10 ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract COVID-19 has been considered as one of the major global pandemic which has caused different health problems by affecting the majority of the population throughout the world. Several studies have evolved the concerns of air pollution being considered as a major risk factor causing respiratory infection that are carried out by microorganisms which further affects the immunity system of the body. The present study involves the relationship between the air pollutants and COVID-19 total infection along with estimation of death rates in the several regions of Saudi Arabia. The major goal of this study comprises the analysis of the relationship between air pollutants concentration such as (PM10, NO2, CO, SO2 and O3) and COVID-19 wide outbreak, concerning the transmission, number of patients, critical cases and death rates . The results show that the estimation of COVID-19 cases were highest in number recorded in the most polluted regions, the mortality rate and critical cases were also more distinct in these regions more than other regions in Saudi Arabia. The finding of this study shows a positive correlation between mean PM 10, NO2, CO and SO2 pollutants. The results represent the significant relationship between air pollution resulting from high concentration of NO2 and COVID-19 infection and deaths. Null hypothesis of the relation between other pollutants and COVID-19 infection couldn’t be rejected. The study also indicates significant correlation between mean NO2 and CO and total number of critical cases, and negative correlations were obtained between Mean O3 and total number of cases, total deaths and critical case per cumulative days.

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