Summer wildfires boost air pollution more than previously thought

Summer wildfires boost air pollution more than previously thought, scientists say after analysing data coming from NASA and U.S. Department of Energy.

Naturally burning timber and brush launch what are called fine particles into the air at a rate three times as high as levels noted in emissions inventories at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to a new study coming form Georgia Institute of Technology.

And these particles are dangerous for human health, especially for the lungs and heart.

“Burning biomass produces lots of pollution. These are really bad aerosols to breathe from a health point of view,” said researcher Greg Huey from the Georgia Institute of Technology, which led the study.

The scientists measured and looked at the data collected from three major fires, including the 2013 Rim Fire. Georgia Tech had instruments and scientists on the NASA DC-8 plane.

What they found was that methanol, benzene, ozone precursors and other noxious emissions collected from wildfire plumes looked like an oil refinery went up in flames.

“You can see the smoke, and it’s dark for a reason,” Huey said. “When you go measuring wildfires, you get everything there is to measure. You start to wonder sometimes what all is in there.”

The study found many organic chemicals in the wildfire plumes, and technological advancements allowed them to detect certain nitrates in the smoke for the first time. But burning biomass does not appear to be a dominant source of these chemical pollutants, and the major findings of the study involved the fine particles.

Particulate matter, some of which contains oxidants that cause genetic damage, are in the resulting aerosols. They can drift over long distances into populated areas.

According to the scientists, factories also expose people to dangerous aerosols, but wildfires are worst.

“Cars and power plants with pollution controls burn things much more cleanly,” Huey said.

What scientists are concerned about is the fact that as global warming is continuing, wildfires could become more common and the pollution will grow accordingly.

Researchers suggest that the so-called prescribed burnings could prevent or reduce wildfires, and they appear to produce far less pollution per unit area than wildfires.

“A prescribed fire might burn five tons of biomass fuel per acre, whereas a wildfire might burn 30,” said Yokelson, who has dedicated decades of research to biomass fires. “This study shows that wildfires also emit three times more aerosol per ton of fuel burned than prescribed fires.”

The new research could also provide better estimates for future wildfires emissions, the scientists say.