Wildfire Smoke More Harmful Than Other Pollution Sources
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published March 08, 2021 | 10:07 PM
Fine particles in wildfire smoke can be several times more harmful to human respiratory health than particulate matter from other sources such as car exhaust, said researchers
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Mar, 2021 ) :Fine particles in wildfire smoke can be several times more harmful to human respiratory health than particulate matter from other sources such as car exhaust, said researchers.
While this distinction has been previously identified in laboratory experiments, the new study, published in the journal Nature Communications, confirms it at the population level.
This study reveals the risks of tiny airborne particles with diameters of up to 2.5 microns, about one-20th that of a human hair, Science Daily reported .
These particles termed PM2.5 are the main component of wildfire smoke and can penetrate the human respiratory tract, enter the bloodstream and impair vital organs.
"There is a daily threshold for the amount of PM2.5 in the air that is considered acceptable by the county and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)," said researcher Rosana Aguilera from University of California - San Diego.
"The problem with this standard is that it doesn't account for different sources of emission of PM2.5," Aguilera added.
To isolate wildfire-produced PM2.5 from other sources of particulate pollution, the researchers defined exposure to wildfire PM2.5 as exposure to strong Santa Ana winds with fire upwind. A second measure of exposure involved smoke plume data from NOAA's Hazard Mapping System.
A 10 microgram-per-cubic meter increase in PM2.5 attributed to sources other than wildfire smoke was estimated to increase respiratory hospital admissions by 1 per cent. The same increase, when attributed to wildfire smoke, caused between a 1.3 to 10 per cent increase in respiratory admissions.
The research suggests that assuming all particles of a certain size are equally toxic may be inaccurate and that the effects of wildfires even at a distance represent a pressing human health concern.
Recent Stories
Mired in crisis, Boeing reports another loss
Session Awarding Ceremony 2024 held at Cadet College Muzaffarabad
Austrian ski great Hirscher to make comeback under Dutch flag
Pakistan, Japan agrees to convene 'Economic Policy Dialogue'
FM Dar conveys deepest sympathy on torrential rains devastation in UAE
Spain PM Sanchez says weighing resignation after wife's graft probe
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 1st update
Long-lost Klimt portrait auctioned off for 30 mn euros
Osaka seals first win on clay since 2022 in Madrid
Earthquake jolts Karachi
Sindh minister orders operation after attack on police in Ghotki
TikTok to fight US ban law in courts
More Stories From Pakistan
-
PMD forecast rain-windstorm/thunderstorm for various parts of country
28 minutes ago -
Session Awarding Ceremony 2024 held at Cadet College Muzaffarabad
36 minutes ago -
FM Dar conveys deepest sympathy on torrential rains devastation in UAE
55 minutes ago -
Earthquake jolts Karachi
1 hour ago -
Sindh minister orders operation after attack on police in Ghotki
1 hour ago -
Police book youngster for abusing student for one year
1 hour ago
-
Police arrest 23 suspects, recover stolen money, phones
1 hour ago -
Colorful cultural festival concludes at NUML
1 hour ago -
Immunization awareness week kicks off in Balochistan
1 hour ago -
Ministers visit Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital following roof collapse incident
2 hours ago -
IHC serves notices in petition against 'roti' price fixation
2 hours ago -
Bank employees deprived of Rs 1m at gunpoint
2 hours ago