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Buford M, Lacher S, Slattery M, Levings DC, Postma B, Holian A, Migliaccio C. A mouse model of wildfire smoke-induced health effects: sex differences in acute and sustained effects of inhalation exposures. Inhal Toxicol 2024:1-11. [PMID: 38769076 DOI: 10.1080/08958378.2024.2354398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Due to climate change, wildfires have increased in intensity and duration. While wildfires threaten lives directly, the smoke has more far-reaching adverse health impacts. During an extreme 2017 wildfire event, residents of Seeley Lake, Montana were exposed to unusually high levels of wood smoke (WS) causing sustained effects on lung function (decreased FEV1/FVC). Objective: The present study utilized an animal model of WS exposure to research cellular and molecular mechanisms of the resulting health effects. Methods: Mice were exposed to inhaled WS utilizing locally harvested wood to recapitulate community exposures. WS was generated at a rate resulting in a 5 mg/m3 PM2.5 exposure for five days. Results: This exposure resulted in a similar 0.28 mg/m2 particle deposition (lung surface area) in mice that was calculated for human exposure. As with the community observations, there was a significant effect on lung function, increased resistance, and decreased compliance, that was more pronounced in males at an extended (2 months) timepoint and males were more affected than females: ex vivo assays illustrated changes to alveolar macrophage functions (increased TNFα secretion and decreased efferocytosis). Female mice had significantly elevated IL-33 levels in lungs, however, pretreatment of male mice with IL-33 resulted in an abrogation of the observed WS effects, suggesting a dose-dependent role of IL-33. Additionally, there were greater immunotoxic effects in male mice. Discussion: These findings replicated the outcomes in humans and suggest that IL-33 is involved in a mechanism of the adverse effects of WS exposures that inform on potential sex differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Buford
- University of MT, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Sarah Lacher
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of MN Medical School, Duluth, MN, USA
| | - Matthew Slattery
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of MN Medical School, Duluth, MN, USA
| | - Daniel C Levings
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of MN Medical School, Duluth, MN, USA
| | - Britten Postma
- University of MT, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Andrij Holian
- University of MT, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Chris Migliaccio
- University of MT, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Missoula, MT, USA
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2
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Romano D, Novielli P, Diacono D, Cilli R, Pantaleo E, Amoroso N, Bellantuono L, Monaco A, Bellotti R, Tangaro S. Insights from Explainable Artificial Intelligence of Pollution and Socioeconomic Influences for Respiratory Cancer Mortality in Italy. J Pers Med 2024; 14:430. [PMID: 38673057 PMCID: PMC11051343 DOI: 10.3390/jpm14040430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Respiratory malignancies, encompassing cancers affecting the lungs, the trachea, and the bronchi, pose a significant and dynamic public health challenge. Given that air pollution stands as a significant contributor to the onset of these ailments, discerning the most detrimental agents becomes imperative for crafting policies aimed at mitigating exposure. This study advocates for the utilization of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) methodologies, leveraging remote sensing data, to ascertain the primary influencers on the prediction of standard mortality rates (SMRs) attributable to respiratory cancer across Italian provinces, utilizing both environmental and socioeconomic data. By scrutinizing thirteen distinct machine learning algorithms, we endeavor to pinpoint the most accurate model for categorizing Italian provinces as either above or below the national average SMR value for respiratory cancer. Furthermore, employing XAI techniques, we delineate the salient factors crucial in predicting the two classes of SMR. Through our machine learning scrutiny, we illuminate the environmental and socioeconomic factors pertinent to mortality in this disease category, thereby offering a roadmap for prioritizing interventions aimed at mitigating risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donato Romano
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Suolo, della Pianta e degli Alimenti, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy; (D.R.); (P.N.)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy; (D.D.); (R.C.); (E.P.); (N.A.); (L.B.); (A.M.); (R.B.)
| | - Pierfrancesco Novielli
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Suolo, della Pianta e degli Alimenti, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy; (D.R.); (P.N.)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy; (D.D.); (R.C.); (E.P.); (N.A.); (L.B.); (A.M.); (R.B.)
| | - Domenico Diacono
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy; (D.D.); (R.C.); (E.P.); (N.A.); (L.B.); (A.M.); (R.B.)
| | - Roberto Cilli
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy; (D.D.); (R.C.); (E.P.); (N.A.); (L.B.); (A.M.); (R.B.)
- Dipartimento Interateneo di Fisica “M. Merlin”, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
| | - Ester Pantaleo
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy; (D.D.); (R.C.); (E.P.); (N.A.); (L.B.); (A.M.); (R.B.)
- Dipartimento Interateneo di Fisica “M. Merlin”, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
| | - Nicola Amoroso
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy; (D.D.); (R.C.); (E.P.); (N.A.); (L.B.); (A.M.); (R.B.)
- Dipartimento di Farmacia Scienze del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
| | - Loredana Bellantuono
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy; (D.D.); (R.C.); (E.P.); (N.A.); (L.B.); (A.M.); (R.B.)
- Dipartimento di Biomedicina Traslazionale e Neuroscienze, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
| | - Alfonso Monaco
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy; (D.D.); (R.C.); (E.P.); (N.A.); (L.B.); (A.M.); (R.B.)
- Dipartimento Interateneo di Fisica “M. Merlin”, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
| | - Roberto Bellotti
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy; (D.D.); (R.C.); (E.P.); (N.A.); (L.B.); (A.M.); (R.B.)
- Dipartimento Interateneo di Fisica “M. Merlin”, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
| | - Sabina Tangaro
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Suolo, della Pianta e degli Alimenti, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy; (D.R.); (P.N.)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy; (D.D.); (R.C.); (E.P.); (N.A.); (L.B.); (A.M.); (R.B.)
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3
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Daniels J, Liang L, Benedict KB, Brahney J, Rangel R, Weathers KC, Ponette-González AG. Satellite-based aerosol optical depth estimates over the continental U.S. during the 2020 wildfire season: Roles of smoke and land cover. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 921:171122. [PMID: 38395165 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Wildfires produce smoke that can affect an area >1000 times the burn extent, with far-reaching human health, ecologic, and economic impacts. Accurately estimating aerosol load within smoke plumes is therefore crucial for understanding and mitigating these impacts. We evaluated the effectiveness of the latest Collection 6.1 MODIS Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm in estimating aerosol optical depth (AOD) across the U.S. during the historic 2020 wildfire season. We compared satellite-based MAIAC AOD to ground-based AERONET AOD measurements during no-, light-, medium-, and heavy-smoke conditions identified using the Hazard Mapping System Fire and Smoke Product. This smoke product consists of maximum extent smoke polygons digitized by analysts using visible band imagery and classified according to smoke density. We also examined the strength of the correlations between satellite- and ground-based AOD for major land cover types under various smoke density levels. MAIAC performed well in estimating AOD during smoke-affected conditions. Correlations between MAIAC and AERONET AOD were strong for medium- (r = 0.91) and heavy-smoke (r = 0.90) density, and MAIAC estimates of AOD showed little bias relative to ground-based AERONET measurements (normalized mean bias = 3 % for medium, 5 % for heavy smoke). During two high AOD, heavy smoke episodes, MAIAC underestimated ground-based AERONET AOD under mixed aerosol (i.e., smoke and dust; median bias = -0.08) and overestimated AOD under smoke-dominated (median bias = 0.02) aerosol. MAIAC most overestimated ground-based AERONET AOD over barren land (mean NMB = 48 %). Our findings indicate that MODIS MAIAC can provide robust estimates of AOD as smoke density increases in coming years. Increased frequency of mixed aerosol and expansion of developed land could affect the performance of the MAIAC algorithm in the future, however, with implications for evaluating wildfire-associated health and welfare effects and air quality standards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Daniels
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #305279, Denton, TX 76203, USA
| | - Lu Liang
- Department of Geography and the Environment, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #305279, Denton, TX 76203, USA
| | - Katherine B Benedict
- Earth and Environmental Science Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - Janice Brahney
- Department of Watershed Sciences and Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5210 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Roman Rangel
- Department of Geography and the Environment, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #305279, Denton, TX 76203, USA
| | | | - Alexandra G Ponette-González
- Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA; Department of City and Metropolitan Planning, University of Utah, 375 South 1530 East, Suite 220, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
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4
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Do V, Chen C, Benmarhnia T, Casey JA. Spatial Heterogeneity of the Respiratory Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke PM 2.5 in California. GEOHEALTH 2024; 8:e2023GH000997. [PMID: 38560560 PMCID: PMC10978801 DOI: 10.1029/2023gh000997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Wildfire smoke fine particles (PM2.5) are a growing public health threat as wildfire events become more common and intense under climate change, especially in the Western United States. Studies assessing the association between wildfire PM2.5 exposure and health typically summarize the effects over the study area. However, health responses to wildfire PM2.5 may vary spatially. We evaluated spatially-varying respiratory acute care utilization risks associated with short-term exposure to wildfire PM2.5 and explored community characteristics possibly driving spatial heterogeneity. Using ensemble-modeled daily wildfire PM2.5, we defined a wildfire smoke day to have wildfire-specific PM2.5 concentration ≥15 μg/m3. We included daily respiratory emergency department visits and unplanned hospitalizations in 1,396 California ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and 15 census-derived community characteristics. Employing a case-crossover design and conditional logistic regression, we observed increased odds of respiratory acute care utilization on wildfire smoke days at the state level (odds ratio [OR] = 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05, 1.07). Across air basins, ORs ranged from 0.88 to 1.57, with the highest effect estimate in San Diego. A within-community matching design and spatial Bayesian hierarchical model also revealed spatial heterogeneity in ZCTA-level rate differences. For example, communities with a higher percentage of Black or Pacific Islander residents had stronger wildfire PM2.5-outcome relationships, while more air conditioning and tree canopy attenuated associations. We found an important heterogeneity in wildfire smoke-related health impacts across air basins, counties, and ZCTAs, and we identified characteristics of vulnerable communities, providing evidence to guide policy development and resource allocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- V. Do
- Department of Environmental Health SciencesColumbia University Mailman School of Public HealthNew YorkNYUSA
| | - C. Chen
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | - T. Benmarhnia
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
- Irset Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail, UMR‐S 1085, Inserm, University of Rennes, EHESPRennesFrance
| | - J. A. Casey
- Department of Environmental Health SciencesColumbia University Mailman School of Public HealthNew YorkNYUSA
- Department of EpidemiologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWAUSA
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5
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Wilgus ML, Merchant M. Clearing the Air: Understanding the Impact of Wildfire Smoke on Asthma and COPD. Healthcare (Basel) 2024; 12:307. [PMID: 38338192 PMCID: PMC10855577 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12030307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Wildfires are a global natural phenomenon. In North America, wildfires have not only become more frequent, but also more severe and longer in duration, a trend ascribed to climate change combined with large fuel stores left from modern fire suppression. The intensification of wildfire activity has significant implications for planetary health and public health, as exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in wildfire smoke is linked to adverse health effects. This review focuses on respiratory morbidity from wildfire smoke exposure. Inhalation of wildfire PM2.5 causes lung injury via oxidative stress, local and systemic inflammation, airway epithelium compromise, and increased vulnerability to infection. Wildfire PM2.5 exposure results in exacerbations of pre-existing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, with an escalation in healthcare utilization, including emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Wildfire smoke exposure may be associated with asthma onset, long-term impairment of lung function, and increased all-cause mortality. Children, older adults, occupationally-exposed groups, and possibly women are the most at risk from wildfire smoke. Future research is needed to clarify best practices for risk mitigation and wildfire management.
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Affiliation(s)
- May-Lin Wilgus
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1405, USA;
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6
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Rice RB, Boaggio K, Olson NE, Foley KM, Weaver CP, Sacks JD, McDow SR, Holder AL, LeDuc SD. Wildfires Increase Concentrations of Hazardous Air Pollutants in Downwind Communities. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:21235-21248. [PMID: 38051783 PMCID: PMC10862657 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c04153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Due in part to climate change, wildfire activity is increasing, with the potential for greater public health impact from smoke in downwind communities. Studies examining the health effects of wildfire smoke have focused primarily on fine particulate matter (PM2.5), but there is a need to better characterize other constituents, such as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). HAPs are chemicals known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects that are regulated by the United States (US) Environmental Protection Agency. Here, we analyzed concentrations of 21 HAPs in wildfire smoke from 2006 to 2020 at 309 monitors across the western US. Additionally, we examined HAP concentrations measured in a major population center (San Jose, CA) affected by multiple fires from 2017 to 2020. We found that concentrations of select HAPs, namely acetaldehyde, acrolein, chloroform, formaldehyde, manganese, and tetrachloroethylene, were all significantly elevated on smoke-impacted versus nonsmoke days (P < 0.05). The largest median increase on smoke-impacted days was observed for formaldehyde, 1.3 μg/m3 (43%) higher than that on nonsmoke days. Acetaldehyde increased 0.73 μg/m3 (36%), and acrolein increased 0.14 μg/m3 (34%). By better characterizing these chemicals in wildfire smoke, we anticipate that this research will aid efforts to reduce exposures in downwind communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Byron Rice
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Katie Boaggio
- US EPA, Office of Air and Radiation, Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Nicole E Olson
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Kristen M Foley
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Christopher P Weaver
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Jason D Sacks
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Stephen R McDow
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Amara L Holder
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Stephen D LeDuc
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States
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7
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Jin X, Fiore AM, Cohen RC. Space-Based Observations of Ozone Precursors within California Wildfire Plumes and the Impacts on Ozone-NO x-VOC Chemistry. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:14648-14660. [PMID: 37703172 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c04411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
The frequency of wildfires in the western United States has escalated in recent decades. Here we examine the impacts of wildfires on ground-level ozone (O3) precursors and the O3-NOx-VOC chemistry from the source to downwind urban areas. We use satellite retrievals of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and formaldehyde (HCHO, an indicator of VOC) from the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) to track the evolution of O3 precursors from wildfires over California from 2018 to 2020. We improved these satellite retrievals by updating the a priori profiles and explicitly accounting for the effects of smoke aerosols. TROPOMI observations reveal that the extensive and intense fire smoke in 2020 led to an overall increase in statewide annual average HCHO and NO2 columns by 16% and 9%. The increase in the level of NO2 offsets the anthropogenic NOx emission reduction from the COVID-19 lockdown. The enhancement of NO2 within fire plumes is concentrated near the regions actively burning, whereas the enhancement of HCHO is far-reaching, extending from the source regions to urban areas downwind due to the secondary production of HCHO from longer-lived VOCs such as ethene. Consequently, a larger increase in NOx occurs in NOx-limited source regions, while a greater increase in HCHO occurs in VOC-limited urban areas, both contributing to more efficient O3 production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomeng Jin
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, United States
| | - Arlene M Fiore
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Ronald C Cohen
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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8
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Holder AL, Ahmed A, Vukovich JM, Rao V. Hazardous air pollutant emissions estimates from wildfires in the wildland urban interface. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgad186. [PMID: 37346272 PMCID: PMC10281377 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Fires that occur in the wildland urban interface (WUI) often burn structures, vehicles, and their contents in addition to biomass in the natural landscape. Because these fires burn near population centers, their emissions may have a sizeable impact on public health, necessitating a better understanding of criteria and hazardous air pollutants emitted from these fires and how they differ from wildland fires. Previous studies on the toxicity of emissions from the combustion of building materials and vehicles have shown that urban fires may emit numerous toxic species such as hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, isocyanates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dioxins and furans, and a range of toxic organic compounds (e.g. benzene toluene, xylenes, styrene, and formaldehyde) and metals (e.g. lead, chromium, cadmium, and arsenic). We surveyed the literature to create a compendium of emission factors for species emitted from the combustion of building and vehicle materials and compared them with those from wildland fires. Emission factors for some toxic species like PAH and some organic compounds were several orders of magnitude greater than those from wildfires. We used this emission factor compendium to calculate a bounding estimate of the emissions from several notable WUI fires in the western United States to show that urban fuels may contribute a sizeable portion of the toxic emissions into the atmosphere. However, large gaps remain in our understanding of the fuel composition, fuel consumption, and combustion conditions in WUI fires that constrain our ability to estimate the impact of WUI fires.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aranya Ahmed
- Present address: Catalent Pharmaceutical Solutions, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Vukovich
- Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
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9
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Martenies SE, Wilson A, Hoskovec L, Bol KA, Burket TL, Podewils LJ, Magzamen S. The COVID-19-wildfire smoke paradox: Reduced risk of all-cause mortality due to wildfire smoke in Colorado during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 225:115591. [PMID: 36878268 PMCID: PMC9985917 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In 2020, the American West faced two competing challenges: the COVID-19 pandemic and the worst wildfire season on record. Several studies have investigated the impact of wildfire smoke (WFS) on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, but little is known about how these two public health challenges impact mortality risk for other causes. OBJECTIVES Using a time-series design, we evaluated how daily risk of mortality due to WFS exposure differed for periods before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS Our study included daily data for 11 counties in the Front Range region of Colorado (2010-2020). We assessed WFS exposure using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and used mortality counts from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. We estimated the interaction between WFS and the pandemic (an indicator variable) on mortality risk using generalized additive models adjusted for year, day of week, fine particulate matter, ozone, temperature, and a smoothed term for day of year. RESULTS WFS impacted the study area on 10% of county-days. We observed a positive association between the presence of WFS and all-cause mortality risk (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.03, 95%CI: 1.01-1.04 for same-day exposures) during the period before the pandemic; however, WFS exposure during the pandemic resulted in decreased risk of all-cause mortality (IRR = 0.90, 95%CI: 0.87-0.93 for same-day exposures). DISCUSSION We hypothesize that mitigation efforts during the first year of the pandemic, e.g., mask mandates, along with high ambient WFS levels encouraged health behaviors that reduced exposure to WFS and reduced risk of all-cause mortality. Our results suggest a need to examine how associations between WFS and mortality are impacted by pandemic-related factors and that there may be lessons from the pandemic that could be translated into health-protective policies during future wildfire events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheena E Martenies
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
| | - Ander Wilson
- Department of Statistics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Lauren Hoskovec
- Department of Statistics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Kirk A Bol
- Center for Health and Environmental Data, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Tori L Burket
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA; Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Laura Jean Podewils
- Center for Health Systems Research, Denver Health Office of Research, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Sheryl Magzamen
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
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10
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Xiang W, Wang W, Du L, Zhao B, Liu X, Zhang X, Yao L, Ge M. Toxicological Effects of Secondary Air Pollutants. Chem Res Chin Univ 2023; 39:326-341. [PMID: 37303472 PMCID: PMC10147539 DOI: 10.1007/s40242-023-3050-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Secondary air pollutants, originating from gaseous pollutants and primary particulate matter emitted by natural sources and human activities, undergo complex atmospheric chemical reactions and multiphase processes. Secondary gaseous pollutants represented by ozone and secondary particulate matter, including sulfates, nitrates, ammonium salts, and secondary organic aerosols, are formed in the atmosphere, affecting air quality and human health. This paper summarizes the formation pathways and mechanisms of important atmospheric secondary pollutants. Meanwhile, different secondary pollutants' toxicological effects and corresponding health risks are evaluated. Studies have shown that secondary pollutants are generally more toxic than primary ones. However, due to their diverse source and complex generation mechanism, the study of the toxicological effects of secondary pollutants is still in its early stages. Therefore, this paper first introduces the formation mechanism of secondary gaseous pollutants and focuses mainly on ozone's toxicological effects. In terms of particulate matter, secondary inorganic and organic particulate matters are summarized separately, then the contribution and toxicological effects of secondary components formed from primary carbonaceous aerosols are discussed. Finally, secondary pollutants generated in the indoor environment are briefly introduced. Overall, a comprehensive review of secondary air pollutants may shed light on the future toxicological and health effects research of secondary air pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wang Xiang
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 P. R. China
| | - Weigang Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 P. R. China
| | - Libo Du
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 P. R. China
| | - Bin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 P. R. China
- College of Chemistry and Material Science, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024 P. R. China
| | - Xingyang Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 P. R. China
| | - Xiaojie Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 P. R. China
| | - Li Yao
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 P. R. China
| | - Maofa Ge
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 P. R. China
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11
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Sengupta D, Samburova V, Bhattarai C, Moosmüller H, Khlystov A. Emission factors for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from laboratory biomass-burning and their chemical transformations during aging in an oxidation flow reactor. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 870:161857. [PMID: 36731568 PMCID: PMC10990481 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can be emitted from different combustion sources including domestic biomass burning, internal combustion engines, and biomass burning (BB) in wild, prescribed, and agricultural fires. With climate warming and consequent global increases in frequency and severity of wildfires, BB is a dominant source of PAHs emitted into the atmosphere. In this study, six globally and regionally important and representative fuels (Alaskan peat, Moscow peat, Pskov peat, eucalyptus, Malaysian peat, and Malaysian agricultural peat) were burned under controlled conditions in the combustion chamber facility at the Desert Research Institute (DRI, Reno, NV, USA). Gas- and particle-phase BB emissions were aged in an oxidation flow reactor (OFR) to mimic five to sevendays of atmospheric aging. To sample gas- and particle-phase BB emissions, fresh and OFR-aged biomass-burning aerosols were collected on Teflon-impregnated glass fiber filters (TIGF) in tandem with XAD resin media for organic carbon speciation. The objectives of this study were to i) quantify the emission factors for 113 PAHs emitted from the combustion of the six selected fuels, ii) characterize the distribution of PAH compounds between gas and particle phases for these fuels, iii) identify the changes in PAHs during OFR-aging, and iv) evaluate toxicity potential with characterized compounds. We found that combustion emissions of gas-phase PAHs were more abundant (>80 % by mass) than particle-phase PAHs, for emissions from all combusted fuels. The mass fraction of substituted napthalenes in Moscow peat and Malaysian peat emissions were ∼70 % & 84 %, respectively, whereas in Eucalyptus the same fraction was <50 %, which indicates that these substituted compounds can be used as tracers for peat emissions. Mass concentrations of gas- and particle-phase PAHs were reduced by ∼70 % after OFR oxidation. However, the understanding of the fate of PAHs during OFR oxidation requires further investigations. Our results also indicate that the PAH toxicity of BB samples would be underestimated by 10-100 times if only the BaPeq for the 16 US EPA priority PAHs in the particle phase are included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deep Sengupta
- Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, USA; University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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12
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Raoelison OD, Valenca R, Lee A, Karim S, Webster JP, Poulin BA, Mohanty SK. Wildfire impacts on surface water quality parameters: Cause of data variability and reporting needs. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 317:120713. [PMID: 36435284 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Surface runoff mobilizes the burned residues and ashes produced during wildfires and deposits them in surface waters, thereby deteriorating water quality. A lack of a consistent reporting protocol precludes a quantitative understanding of how and to what extent wildfire may affect the water quality of surface waters. This study aims to analyze reported pre- and post-fire water quality data to inform the data reporting and highlight research opportunities. A comparison of the pre-and post-fire water quality data from 44 studies reveals that wildfire could increase the concentration of many pollutants by two orders of magnitude. However, the concentration increase is sensitive to when the sample was taken after the wildfire, the wildfire burned area, discharge rate in the surface water bodies where samples were collected, and pollutant type. Increases in burned areas disproportionally increased total suspended solids (TSS) concentration, indicating TSS concentration is dependent on the source area. Increases in surface water flow up to 10 m3 s-1 increased TSS concentration but any further increase in flow rate decreased TSS concentration, potentially due to dilution. Nutrients and suspended solids concentrations increase within a year after the wildfire, whereas peaks for heavy metals occur after 1-2 years of wildfire, indicating a delay in the leaching of heavy metals compared to nutrients from wildfire-affected areas. The concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was greatest within a year post-fire but did not exceed the surface water quality limits. The analysis also revealed inconsistency in the existing sampling protocols and provides a guideline for a modified protocol along with highlighting new research opportunities. Overall, this study underlines the need for consistent reporting of post-fire water quality data along with environmental factors that could affect the data so that the post-fire water quality can be assessed or compared between studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onja D Raoelison
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
| | - Renan Valenca
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Allison Lee
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Samiha Karim
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Jackson P Webster
- Department of Civil Engineering, California State University, Chico, USA
| | - Brett A Poulin
- Department of Environmental Toxicology, The University of California, Davis, USA
| | - Sanjay K Mohanty
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
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13
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Maximoff SN, Mittal R, Kaushik A, Dhau JS. Performance evaluation of activated carbon sorbents for indoor air purification during normal and wildfire events. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 304:135314. [PMID: 35709843 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a significant class of indoor air pollutants and are known for their adverse effects on health. A common strategy to reduce indoor VOC levels is to use sorbents, including activated carbons (ACs). The amount of activated carbon is critical to achieving a reasonable AC filter lifetime in an air purification device. The study aims to estimate the amount of carbon needed in a typical indoor environment and in a heavy use setting such as during cooking, agriculture field fires, or wildfires. The problem is complex as various types of ACs are used, and the type and concentration of VOCs in the indoor environment also vary in different settings. Therefore, literature data on thermophysical parameters for 45 AC-VOC pairs was used to estimate the required amount of AC under a given set of conditions. The study uses modeling distributions of the footprint of suitable carbon filters for the removal of common VOCs encountered indoors for a period of 30 days. It was found that while 50% of AC-VOC pairs surveyed will require about 190-370 g at low indoor VOCs levels of 0.1-1 μmol/m3(considered a good clean indoor environment), up to 1.1 kg of ACs are needed for a carbon filter to survive 30 days in a typical indoor environment (VOCs levels of 10 μmol/m3). On the other hand, 3-15 kg or more AC will be needed in a filter to survive 30 days during adverse events such as wildfires. The objective of the present study is to aid consumers and businesses in making an informed decision on the type of AC-based indoor air filters that meet their needs. Using this data, an open-access online calculator is being developed to predict the amount of carbon needed in a filter/device at any specific indoor air condition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rajat Mittal
- Molekule, Inc., 3802 Spectrum Blvd., Tampa FL 33612, USA
| | - Ajeet Kaushik
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Florida Polytechnic University, 4700 Research Way, Lakeland, FL 33805, USA
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14
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Dickinson GN, Miller DD, Bajracharya A, Bruchard W, Durbin TA, McGarry JKP, Moser EP, Nuñez LA, Pukkila EJ, Scott PS, Sutton PJ, Johnston NAC. Health Risk Implications of Volatile Organic Compounds in Wildfire Smoke During the 2019 FIREX-AQ Campaign and Beyond. GEOHEALTH 2022; 6:e2021GH000546. [PMID: 36017488 PMCID: PMC9393878 DOI: 10.1029/2021gh000546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality was a NOAA/NASA collaborative campaign conducted during the summer of 2019. The objectives included identifying and quantifying wildfire composition, smoke evolution, and climate and health impacts of wildfires and agricultural fires in the United States. Ground based mobile sampling via sorbent tubes occurred at the Nethker and Williams Flats fires (2019) and Chief Timothy and Whitetail Loop fires (2020) in Idaho and Washington. Air samples were analyzed through thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for a variety of volatile organic compounds to elucidate both composition and health impacts. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, butenes, phenol, isoprene and pinenes were observed in the wildfire smoke, with benzene ranging from 0.04 to 25 ppbv. Health risk was assessed for each fire by determining sub-chronic (wildfire event) and projected chronic inhalation risk exposure from benzene, a carcinogen, as well as other non-carcinogenic compounds including toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and hexane. The cancer risk of benzene from sub-chronic exposure was 1 extra cancer per million people and ranged from 1 to 19 extra cancers per million people for the projected chronic scenarios, compared to a background level of 1 extra cancer per million people. The hazard index of non-carcinogenic compounds was less than one for all scenarios and wildfires sampled, which was considered low risk for non-cancer health events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle N. Dickinson
- Physical, Life, Movement, and Sport Sciences DivisionLewis‐Clark State CollegeLewistonIDUSA
| | - Dylan D. Miller
- Physical, Life, Movement, and Sport Sciences DivisionLewis‐Clark State CollegeLewistonIDUSA
| | - Aakriti Bajracharya
- Physical, Life, Movement, and Sport Sciences DivisionLewis‐Clark State CollegeLewistonIDUSA
| | - William Bruchard
- Physical, Life, Movement, and Sport Sciences DivisionLewis‐Clark State CollegeLewistonIDUSA
| | - Timbre A. Durbin
- Physical, Life, Movement, and Sport Sciences DivisionLewis‐Clark State CollegeLewistonIDUSA
| | - John K. P. McGarry
- Physical, Life, Movement, and Sport Sciences DivisionLewis‐Clark State CollegeLewistonIDUSA
| | - Elijah P. Moser
- Physical, Life, Movement, and Sport Sciences DivisionLewis‐Clark State CollegeLewistonIDUSA
| | - Laurel A. Nuñez
- Physical, Life, Movement, and Sport Sciences DivisionLewis‐Clark State CollegeLewistonIDUSA
| | - Elias J. Pukkila
- Physical, Life, Movement, and Sport Sciences DivisionLewis‐Clark State CollegeLewistonIDUSA
| | - Phillip S. Scott
- Physical, Life, Movement, and Sport Sciences DivisionLewis‐Clark State CollegeLewistonIDUSA
| | - Parke J. Sutton
- Physical, Life, Movement, and Sport Sciences DivisionLewis‐Clark State CollegeLewistonIDUSA
| | - Nancy A. C. Johnston
- Physical, Life, Movement, and Sport Sciences DivisionLewis‐Clark State CollegeLewistonIDUSA
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15
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Whitehill AR, Long RW, Urbanski S, Colón M, Habel B, Landis MS. Evaluation of Cairpol and Aeroqual Air Sensors in Biomass Burning Plumes. ATMOSPHERE 2022; 13:1-22. [PMID: 36926184 PMCID: PMC10013706 DOI: 10.3390/atmos13060877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Cairpol and Aeroqual air quality sensors measuring CO, CO2, NO2, and other species were tested in fresh biomass burning plumes in field and laboratory environments. We evaluated sensors by comparing 1-minute sensor measurements to collocated reference instrument measurements. Sensors were evaluated based on the coefficient of determination (r 2) between the sensor and reference measurements, by the accuracy, collocated precision, root mean square error (RMSE), and other metrics. In general, CO and CO2 sensors performed well (in terms of accuracy and r 2 values) compared to NO2 sensors. Cairpol CO and NO2 sensors had better sensor-versus-sensor agreement (e.g., collocated precision) than Aeroqual CO and NO2 sensors of the same species. Tests of other sensors (e.g., NH3, H2S, VOC, NMHC) provided more inconsistent results and need further study. Aeroqual NO2 sensors had an apparent O3 interference that was not observed in the Cairpol NO2 sensors. Although the sensor accuracy lags that of reference-level monitors, with location-specific calibrations they have the potential to provide useful data about community air quality and personal exposure to smoke impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R. Whitehill
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-919-541-4540
| | - Russell W. Long
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Shawn Urbanski
- U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Maribel Colón
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Bruce Habel
- Jacobs Technology Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Matthew S. Landis
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
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16
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New seasonal pattern of pollution emerges from changing North American wildfires. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2043. [PMID: 35440561 PMCID: PMC9018720 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29623-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Rising emissions from wildfires over recent decades in the Pacific Northwest are known to counteract the reductions in human-produced aerosol pollution over North America. Since amplified Pacific Northwest wildfires are predicted under accelerating climate change, it is essential to understand both local and transported contributions to air pollution in North America. Here, we find corresponding increases for carbon monoxide emitted from the Pacific Northwest wildfires and observe significant impacts on both local and down-wind air pollution. Between 2002 and 2018, the Pacific Northwest atmospheric carbon monoxide abundance increased in August, while other months showed decreasing carbon monoxide, so modifying the seasonal pattern. These seasonal pattern changes extend over large regions of North America, to the Central USA and Northeast North America regions, indicating that transported wildfire pollution could potentially impact the health of millions of people. Growing emissions from Pacific Northwest wildfires have increased atmospheric carbon monoxide in August, raising questions about potential health impacts as the seasonal pattern of air quality changes for large regions of North America.
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17
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Abstract
SignificanceRecord-setting fires in the western United States over the last decade caused severe air pollution, loss of human life, and property damage. Enhanced drought and increased biomass in a warmer climate may fuel larger and more frequent wildfires in the coming decades. Applying an empirical statistical model to fires projected by Earth System Models including climate-ecosystem-socioeconomic interactions, we show that fine particulate pollution over the US Pacific Northwest could double to triple during late summer to fall by the late 21st century under intermediate- and low-mitigation scenarios. The historic fires and resulting pollution extremes of 2017-2020 could occur every 3 to 5 y under 21st-century climate change, posing challenges for air quality management and threatening public health.
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18
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Huo Y, An Z, Li M, Sun J, Jiang J, Zhou Y, He M. The reaction laws and toxicity effects of phthalate acid esters (PAEs) ozonation degradation on the troposphere. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 295:118692. [PMID: 34921942 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Low-molecular-weight (LMW) phthalate acid esters (PAEs) tend to enter the atmosphere, flying for several kilometers, so it is easy to endanger human health. This work is the first to use quantum chemistry calculations (Gaussian 16 program) and computational toxicology (ECOSAR, TEST, and Toxtree software) to comprehensively study the ozonolysis mechanism of six LMW PAEs (dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dipropyl phthalate (DPP), diisopropyl phthalate (DIP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP)) in the atmosphere and the toxicity of DMP (take DMP as an example) in the conversion process. The results show that the electron-donating effect of the ortho position of the LMW PAEs has the most obvious influence on the ozonolysis. We summarized the ozonation reaction law of LMW PAEs at the optimal reaction site. At 298 K, the law of initial ozonolysis total rate constant of the LMW PAEs is kDIP > kDPP > kDIBP > kDMP > kDEP > kDBP, and the range is 9.56 × 10-25 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 - 1.47 × 10-22 cm3 molecule-1 s-1. According to the results of toxicity assessment, the toxicity of products is lower than DMP for aquatic organisms after ozonolysis. But those products have mutagenicity, developmental toxicity, non-genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and corrosiveness to the skin. The proposed ozonolysis mechanism promotes our understanding of the environmental risks of PAEs and provides new ideas for studying the degradation of PAEs in the tropospheric gas phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanru Huo
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, PR China
| | - Zexiu An
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, PR China
| | - Mingxue Li
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, PR China
| | - Jianfei Sun
- School of Environmental and Materials Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai, 264005, PR China
| | - Jinchan Jiang
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, PR China
| | - Yuxin Zhou
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, PR China
| | - Maoxia He
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, PR China.
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19
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Liang Y, Weber RJ, Misztal PK, Jen CN, Goldstein AH. Aging of Volatile Organic Compounds in October 2017 Northern California Wildfire Plumes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:1557-1567. [PMID: 35037463 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c05684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In the western United States, the number and severity of large wildfires have been growing for decades. Biomass burning (BB) is a major source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to the atmosphere both globally and regionally. Following emission, BB VOCs are oxidized while being transported downwind, producing ozone, secondary organic aerosols, and secondary hazardous VOCs. In this research, we measured VOCs using proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) in an urban area 55-65 km downwind of the October 2017 Northern California wildfires. Nonaromatic oxygenated compounds were the dominant component of BB VOCs measured. In the smoke plumes, the VOCs account for 70-75% of the total observed organic carbon, with the remainder being particulate matter (with a diameter of <2.5 μm, PM2.5). We show that the correlation of VOCs with furan (primary BB VOC) and maleic anhydride (secondary BB VOC) can indicate the origin of the VOCs. This was further confirmed by the diurnal variations of the VOCs and their concentration-weighted trajectories. Oxidation during transport consumed highly reactive compounds including benzenoids, furanoids, and terpenoids and produced more oxygenated VOCs. Furthermore, wildfire VOCs altered the ozone formation regime and raised the O3 levels in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutong Liang
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Robert J Weber
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Pawel K Misztal
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Coty N Jen
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United State
| | - Allen H Goldstein
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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20
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Kalashnikov DA, Schnell JL, Abatzoglou JT, Swain DL, Singh D. Increasing co-occurrence of fine particulate matter and ground-level ozone extremes in the western United States. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabi9386. [PMID: 34985958 PMCID: PMC8730618 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abi9386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Wildfires and meteorological conditions influence the co-occurrence of multiple harmful air pollutants including fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone. We examine the spatiotemporal characteristics of PM2.5/ozone co-occurrences and associated population exposure in the western United States (US). The frequency, spatial extent, and temporal persistence of extreme PM2.5/ozone co-occurrences have increased significantly between 2001 and 2020, increasing annual population exposure to multiple harmful air pollutants by ~25 million person-days/year. Using a clustering methodology to characterize daily weather patterns, we identify significant increases in atmospheric ridging patterns conducive to widespread PM2.5/ozone co-occurrences and population exposure. We further link the spatial extent of co-occurrence to the extent of extreme heat and wildfires. Our results suggest an increasing potential for co-occurring air pollution episodes in the western US with continued climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitri A. Kalashnikov
- School of the Environment, Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver, WA, USA
| | - Jordan L. Schnell
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, NOAA/Global Systems Laboratory, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - John T. Abatzoglou
- Management of Complex Systems Department, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Daniel L. Swain
- Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Capacity Center for Climate and Weather Extremes, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
- The Nature Conservancy of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Deepti Singh
- School of the Environment, Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver, WA, USA
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21
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Miller DD, Bajracharya A, Dickinson GN, Durbin TA, McGarry JKP, Moser EP, Nuñez LA, Pukkila EJ, Scott PS, Sutton PJ, Johnston NAC. Diffusive uptake rates for passive air sampling: Application to volatile organic compound exposure during FIREX-AQ campaign. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 287:131808. [PMID: 34461330 PMCID: PMC8612956 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Passive (diffusive) sampling using sorbents is an economical and versatile method of measuring pollutants in air, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Diffusive uptake rates (UTRs) are needed for each analyte to obtain average concentrations during a specific passive sampling time duration. Here, a simultaneous active/diffusive ambient air sampling technique on Tenax®TA was employed to measure 24-hours, 7, 14 and 28-days UTRs of up to 27 VOCs, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes (BTEX), C6-C12 hydrocarbons, benzenes derivatives, tetrachloroethylene, pinenes and limonene. Samples were analyzed via thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) for desired analytes. Seven-day UTR values ranged from 0.17 to 0.59 mL/min and many compounds exhibited a linear relationship with UTR and time duration up to 14 or 28 days. This may be the most comprehensive UTR tabulation of VOCs on Tenax®TA for time periods of 24 hours -28 days available. These rates were applied to VOC data measured during the 2019 NASA/NOAA Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX-AQ) campaign, with goals to determine the chemical composition of western US wildfire smoke and to assess human exposure to air toxics. Summer 2019 exposure levels of BTEX at five Northwestern cities were low and the cancer risk due to benzene was assessed during FIREX-AQ to be background or 1 × 10-6. The UTRs derived here can be useful in applications of diffusive sampling, including estimation of sub-chronic to chronic human exposure risk of air toxics and wildfire smoke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan D Miller
- Physical, Life, Movement and Sport Sciences Division, Lewis-Clark State College, 500 8th Avenue, Lewiston, ID, USA
| | - Aakriti Bajracharya
- Physical, Life, Movement and Sport Sciences Division, Lewis-Clark State College, 500 8th Avenue, Lewiston, ID, USA
| | - Gabrielle N Dickinson
- Physical, Life, Movement and Sport Sciences Division, Lewis-Clark State College, 500 8th Avenue, Lewiston, ID, USA
| | - Timbre A Durbin
- Physical, Life, Movement and Sport Sciences Division, Lewis-Clark State College, 500 8th Avenue, Lewiston, ID, USA
| | - John K P McGarry
- Physical, Life, Movement and Sport Sciences Division, Lewis-Clark State College, 500 8th Avenue, Lewiston, ID, USA
| | - Elijah P Moser
- Physical, Life, Movement and Sport Sciences Division, Lewis-Clark State College, 500 8th Avenue, Lewiston, ID, USA
| | - Laurel A Nuñez
- Physical, Life, Movement and Sport Sciences Division, Lewis-Clark State College, 500 8th Avenue, Lewiston, ID, USA
| | - Elias J Pukkila
- Physical, Life, Movement and Sport Sciences Division, Lewis-Clark State College, 500 8th Avenue, Lewiston, ID, USA
| | - Phillip S Scott
- Physical, Life, Movement and Sport Sciences Division, Lewis-Clark State College, 500 8th Avenue, Lewiston, ID, USA
| | - Parke J Sutton
- Physical, Life, Movement and Sport Sciences Division, Lewis-Clark State College, 500 8th Avenue, Lewiston, ID, USA
| | - Nancy A C Johnston
- Physical, Life, Movement and Sport Sciences Division, Lewis-Clark State College, 500 8th Avenue, Lewiston, ID, USA.
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22
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Kodros JK, Kaltsonoudis C, Paglione M, Florou K, Jorga S, Vasilakopoulou C, Cirtog M, Cazaunau M, Picquet-Varrault B, Nenes A, Pandis SN. Secondary aerosol formation during the dark oxidation of residential biomass burning emissions. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: ATMOSPHERES 2022; 2:1221-1236. [PMID: 36277744 PMCID: PMC9476557 DOI: 10.1039/d2ea00031h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Particulate matter from biomass burning emissions affects air quality, ecosystems and climate; however, quantifying these effects requires that the connection between primary emissions and secondary aerosol production is firmly established. We performed atmospheric simulation chamber experiments on the chemical oxidation of residential biomass burning emissions under dark conditions. Biomass burning organic aerosol was found to age under dark conditions, with its oxygen-to-carbon ratio increasing by 7–34% and producing 1–38 μg m−3 of secondary organic aerosol (5–80% increase over the fresh organic aerosol) after 30 min of exposure to NO3 radicals in the chamber (corresponding to 1–3 h of exposure to typical nighttime NO3 radical concentrations in an urban environment). The average mass concentration of SOA formed under dark-oxidation conditions was comparable to the mass concentration formed after 3 h (equivalent to 7–10 h of ambient exposure) under ultraviolet lights (6 μg m−3 or a 47% increase over the emitted organic aerosol concentration). The dark-aging experiments showed a substantial increase in secondary nitrate aerosol (0.12–3.8 μg m−3), 46–100% of which is in the form of organic nitrates. The biomass burning aerosol pH remained practically constant at 2.8 throughout the experiment. This value promotes inorganic nitrate partitioning to the particulate phase, potentially contributing to the buildup of nitrate aerosol in the boundary layer and enhancing long-range transport. These results suggest that oxidation through reactions with the NO3 radical is an additional secondary aerosol formation pathway in biomass burning emission plumes that should be accounted for in atmospheric chemical-transport models. Biomass burning emissions age rapidly in the dark due to oxidation reactions with nitrate radicals.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- John K. Kodros
- Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, ICE-HT, Patras, 26504, Greece
| | | | - Marco Paglione
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Italian National Research Council, Bologna 40129, Italy
| | - Kalliopi Florou
- Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, ICE-HT, Patras, 26504, Greece
| | - Spiro Jorga
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, 15213, USA
| | - Christina Vasilakopoulou
- Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, ICE-HT, Patras, 26504, Greece
- Univ Paris Est Creteil and Université Paris Cité, CNRS, LISA, F-94010 Créteil, France
| | - Manuela Cirtog
- LISA, UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Université de Paris, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL), Créteil, France
| | - Mathieu Cazaunau
- LISA, UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Université de Paris, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL), Créteil, France
| | - Bénédicte Picquet-Varrault
- LISA, UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Université de Paris, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL), Créteil, France
| | - Athanasios Nenes
- Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, ICE-HT, Patras, 26504, Greece
- School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Spyros N. Pandis
- Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, ICE-HT, Patras, 26504, Greece
- Univ Paris Est Creteil and Université Paris Cité, CNRS, LISA, F-94010 Créteil, France
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23
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Leresche F, Salazar JR, Pfotenhauer DJ, Hannigan MP, Majestic BJ, Rosario-Ortiz FL. Photochemical Aging of Atmospheric Particulate Matter in the Aqueous Phase. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:13152-13163. [PMID: 34529399 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c00978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This study focused on the photoaging of atmospheric particulate matter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) in the aqueous phase. PM2.5 was collected during a winter, a spring, and a summer campaign in urban and rural settings in Colorado and extracted into water. The aqueous extracts were photoirradiated using simulated sunlight, and the production rate (r•OH) and the effects of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) were measured as well as the optical properties as a function of the photoaging of the extracts. r•OH was seen to have a strong seasonality with low mean values for the winter and spring extracts (4.8 and 14 fM s-1 mgC-1 L, respectively) and a higher mean value for the summer extracts (65.4 fM s-1 mgC-1 L). For the winter extracts, •OH was seen to mostly originate from nitrate photolysis while for the summer extracts, a correlation was seen between r•OH and iron concentration. The extent of photobleaching of the extracts was correlated with r•OH, and the correlation also indicated that non-•OH processes took place. Using the •OH measurements and singlet oxygen (1O2) measurements, the half-life of a selection of compounds was modeled in the atmospheric aqueous phase to be between 1.9 and 434 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Leresche
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Joseph R Salazar
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado 80208, United States
| | - David J Pfotenhauer
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Michael P Hannigan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Brian J Majestic
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado 80208, United States
| | - Fernando L Rosario-Ortiz
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
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24
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Navarro KM, West MR, O’Dell K, Sen P, Chen IC, Fischer EV, Hornbrook RS, Apel EC, Hills AJ, Jarnot A, DeMott P, Domitrovich JW. Exposure to Particulate Matter and Estimation of Volatile Organic Compounds across Wildland Firefighter Job Tasks. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:11795-11804. [PMID: 34488352 PMCID: PMC8978153 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c00847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Wildland firefighters are exposed to smoke-containing particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) while suppressing wildfires. From 2015 to 2017, the U.S. Forest Service conducted a field study collecting breathing zone measurements of PM4 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤4 μm) on wildland firefighters from different crew types and while performing various fire suppression tasks on wildfires. Emission ratios of VOC (parts per billion; ppb): PM1 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤1 μm; mg/m3) were calculated using data from a separate field study conducted in summer 2018, the Western Wildfire Experiment for Cloud Chemistry, Aerosol Absorption, and Nitrogen (WE-CAN) Campaign. These emission ratios were used to estimate wildland firefighter exposure to acrolein, benzene, and formaldehyde. Results of this field sampling campaign reported that exposure to PM4 and VOC varied across wildland firefighter crew type and job task. Type 1 crews had greater exposures to both PM4 and VOCs than type 2 or type 2 initial attack crews, and wildland firefighters performing direct suppression had statistically higher exposures than those performing staging and other tasks (mean differences = 0.82 and 0.75 mg/m3; 95% confidence intervals = 0.38-1.26 and 0.41-1.08 mg/m3, respectively). Of the 81 personal exposure samples collected, 19% of measured PM4 exposures exceeded the recommended National Wildland Fire Coordinating Group occupational exposure limit (0.7 mg/m3). Wildland fire management should continue to find strategies to reduce smoke exposures for wildland firefighters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M. Navarro
- USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Fire and Aviation Management, Clovis, 93611, USA
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Field Studies and Engineering, Cincinnati, 45213, USA
| | - Molly R. West
- USDA Forest Service, National Technology and Development Program, Missoula, 59804, USA
| | - Katelyn O’Dell
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 80521, USA
| | - Paro Sen
- Amentum Services, Germantown, 20876, USA
| | - I-Chen Chen
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Field Studies and Engineering, Cincinnati, 45213, USA
| | - Emily V. Fischer
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 80521, USA
| | - Rebecca S. Hornbrook
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, 80305, USA
| | - Eric C. Apel
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, 80305, USA
| | - Alan J. Hills
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, 80305, USA
| | - Alex Jarnot
- University of California Irvine, Department of Chemistry, Irvine, 92617, USA
| | - Paul DeMott
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 80521, USA
| | - Joseph W. Domitrovich
- USDA Forest Service, National Technology and Development Program, Missoula, 59804, USA
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25
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Kodros JK, O’Dell K, Samet JM, L’Orange C, Pierce JR, Volckens J. Quantifying the Health Benefits of Face Masks and Respirators to Mitigate Exposure to Severe Air Pollution. GEOHEALTH 2021; 5:e2021GH000482. [PMID: 34541439 PMCID: PMC8438762 DOI: 10.1029/2021gh000482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Familiarity with the use of face coverings to reduce the risk of respiratory disease has increased during the coronavirus pandemic; however, recommendations for their use outside of the pandemic remains limited. Here, we develop a modeling framework to quantify the potential health benefits of wearing a face covering or respirator to mitigate exposure to particulate air pollution. This framework accounts for the wide range of available face coverings and respirators, fit factors and efficacy, air pollution characteristics, and exposure-response data. Our modeling shows that N95 respirators offer robust protection against different sources of particulate matter, reducing exposure by more than a factor of 14 when worn with a leak rate of 5%. Synthetic-fiber masks offer less protection with a strong dependence on aerosol size distribution (protection factors ranging from 4.4 to 2.2), while natural-fiber and surgical masks offer reductions in the exposure of 1.9 and 1.7, respectively. To assess the ability of face coverings to provide population-level health benefits to wildfire smoke, we perform a case study for the 2012 Washington state fire season. Our models suggest that although natural-fiber masks offer minor reductions in respiratory hospitalizations attributable to smoke (2%-11%) due to limited filtration efficiency, N95 respirators and to a lesser extent surgical and synthetic-fiber masks may lead to notable reductions in smoke-attributable hospitalizations (22%-39%, 9%-24%, and 7%-18%, respectively). The filtration efficiency, bypass rate, and compliance rate (fraction of time and population wearing the device) are the key factors governing exposure reduction potential and health benefits during severe wildfire smoke events.
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Affiliation(s)
- John K. Kodros
- Department of Mechanical EngineeringColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Katelyn O’Dell
- Department of Atmospheric ScienceColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Jonathan M. Samet
- Department of Environmental & Occupational HealthColorado School of Public HealthAuroraCOUSA
| | - Christian L’Orange
- Department of Mechanical EngineeringColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Jeffrey R. Pierce
- Department of Atmospheric ScienceColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - John Volckens
- Department of Mechanical EngineeringColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health SciencesColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
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26
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O’Dell K, Bilsback K, Ford B, Martenies SE, Magzamen S, Fischer EV, Pierce JR. Estimated Mortality and Morbidity Attributable to Smoke Plumes in the United States: Not Just a Western US Problem. GEOHEALTH 2021; 5:e2021GH000457. [PMID: 34504989 PMCID: PMC8420710 DOI: 10.1029/2021gh000457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
As anthropogenic emissions continue to decline and emissions from landscape (wild, prescribed, and agricultural) fires increase across the coming century, the relative importance of landscape-fire smoke on air quality and health in the United States (US) will increase. Landscape fires are a large source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which has known negative impacts on human health. The seasonal and spatial distribution, particle composition, and co-emitted species in landscape-fire emissions are different from anthropogenic sources of PM2.5. The implications of landscape-fire emissions on the sub-national temporal and spatial distribution of health events and the relative health importance of specific pollutants within smoke are not well understood. We use a health impact assessment with observation-based smoke PM2.5 to determine the sub-national distribution of mortality and the sub-national and sub-annual distribution of asthma morbidity attributable to US smoke PM2.5 from 2006 to 2018. We estimate disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for PM2.5 and 18 gas-phase hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in smoke. Although the majority of large landscape fires occur in the western US, we find the majority of mortality (74%) and asthma morbidity (on average 75% across 2006-2018) attributable to smoke PM2.5 occurs outside the West, due to higher population density in the East. Across the US, smoke-attributable asthma morbidity predominantly occurs in spring and summer. The number of DALYs associated with smoke PM2.5 is approximately three orders of magnitude higher than DALYs associated with gas-phase smoke HAPs. Our results indicate awareness and mitigation of landscape-fire smoke exposure is important across the US.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn O’Dell
- Department of Atmospheric ScienceColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Kelsey Bilsback
- Department of Atmospheric ScienceColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Bonne Ford
- Department of Atmospheric ScienceColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Sheena E. Martenies
- Department of Kinesiology and Community HealthUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
| | - Sheryl Magzamen
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health SciencesColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Emily V. Fischer
- Department of Atmospheric ScienceColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Jeffrey R. Pierce
- Department of Atmospheric ScienceColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
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27
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Asher E, Hills AJ, Hornbrook RS, Shertz S, Gabbard S, Stephens BB, Helmig D, Apel EC. Unpiloted Aircraft System Instrument for the Rapid Collection of Whole Air Samples and Measurements for Environmental Monitoring and Air Quality Studies. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:5657-5667. [PMID: 33881834 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c07213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
A new airborne system, the Whole Air Sampling Pilotless Platform (WASPP), is described for the collection of whole air samples and in situ meteorological measurements onboard a commercial hexacopter. Rapid sample collection enables the collection ≤15 air samples per flight in positively pressurized miniature canisters, subsequently analyzed on a mated analytical system for up to 80 nonmethane volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The WASPP is well suited to investigate VOC gradients in urban environments impacted by traffic, industry, and oil and natural gas (O&NG) development, but has the sensitivity to characterize continental background conditions, as shown here using a subset of >40 species. We document empirical tests to minimize the influence of rotor wash and other sampling artifacts and report favorable results of laboratory-based calibrations of the WASPP's meteorological sensors and field-based comparisons of WASPP's VOC measurements and horizontal wind velocity measurements. Airborne WASPP measurements can complement and enhance ground-based VOC monitoring efforts by providing substantial meteorological and VOC measurement capability across vertical and horizontal spatial scales. These measurements reveal strong vertical gradients in VOC mixing ratios, depending on local meteorology and sources. WASPP has wide applicability for pollution source identification and quantification of hazardous air pollutants and precursors of criteria pollutants, including monitoring O&NG emissions or industry fenceline monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Asher
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado 80301, United States
- Earth Observing Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado 80301, United States
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, Colorado 80305, United States
| | - Alan J Hills
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado 80301, United States
| | - Rebecca S Hornbrook
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado 80301, United States
| | - Stephen Shertz
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado 80301, United States
| | - Stephen Gabbard
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado 80301, United States
| | - Britton B Stephens
- Earth Observing Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado 80301, United States
| | - Detlev Helmig
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Eric C Apel
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado 80301, United States
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28
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Sorensen C, House JA, O'Dell K, Brey SJ, Ford B, Pierce JR, Fischer EV, Lemery J, Crooks JL. Associations Between Wildfire-Related PM 2.5 and Intensive Care Unit Admissions in the United States, 2006-2015. GEOHEALTH 2021; 5:e2021GH000385. [PMID: 33977181 PMCID: PMC8095362 DOI: 10.1029/2021gh000385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Wildfire smoke is a growing public health concern in the United States. Numerous studies have documented associations between ambient smoke exposure and severe patient outcomes for single-fire seasons or limited geographic regions. However, there are few national-scale health studies of wildfire smoke in the United States, few studies investigating Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admissions as an outcome, and few specifically framed around hospital operations. This study retrospectively examined the associations between ambient wildfire-related PM2.5 at a hospital ZIP code with total hospital ICU admissions using a national-scale hospitalization data set. Wildfire smoke was characterized using a combination of kriged PM2.5 monitor observations and satellite-derived plume polygons from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Hazard Mapping System. ICU admissions data were acquired from Premier, Inc. and encompass 15%-20% of all U.S. ICU admissions during the study period. Associations were estimated using a distributed-lag conditional Poisson model under a time-stratified case-crossover design. We found that a 10 μg/m3 increase in daily wildfire PM2.5 was associated with a 2.7% (95% CI: 1.3, 4.1; p = 0.00018) increase in ICU admissions 5 days later. Under stratification, positive associations were found among patients aged 0-20 and 60+, patients living in the Midwest Census Region, patients admitted in the years 2013-2015, and non-Black patients, though other results were mixed. Following a simulated severe 7-day 120 μg/m3 smoke event, our results predict ICU bed utilization peaking at 131% (95% CI: 43, 239; p < 10-5) over baseline. Our work suggests that hospitals may need to preposition vital critical care resources when severe smoke events are forecast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Sorensen
- University of Colorado School of MedicineDepartment of Emergency MedicineAuroraCOUSA
- Center for Health, Work & EnvironmentColorado School of Public HealthAuroraCOUSA
| | | | - Katelyn O'Dell
- Department of Atmospheric ScienceColorado State UniversityFt. CollinsCOUSA
| | - Steven J. Brey
- Department of Atmospheric ScienceColorado State UniversityFt. CollinsCOUSA
| | - Bonne Ford
- Department of Atmospheric ScienceColorado State UniversityFt. CollinsCOUSA
| | - Jeffrey R. Pierce
- Department of Atmospheric ScienceColorado State UniversityFt. CollinsCOUSA
| | - Emily V. Fischer
- Department of Atmospheric ScienceColorado State UniversityFt. CollinsCOUSA
| | - Jay Lemery
- University of Colorado School of MedicineDepartment of Emergency MedicineAuroraCOUSA
| | - James L. Crooks
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics and Department of Immunology and Genomic MedicineNational Jewish HealthDenverCOUSA
- Department of EpidemiologyColorado School of Public HealthAuroraCOUSA
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29
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Flores-Ramírez R, Ortega-Romero M, Christophe-Barbier O, Meléndez-Marmolejo JG, Rodriguez-Aguilar M, Lee-Rangel HA, Díaz de León-Martínez L. Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures and early kidney damage in Mexican indigenous population. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:23060-23072. [PMID: 33432415 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-12388-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The traditions and habits of indigenous communities in México include the use of wood and biomass burning to cook their food, which generates large amounts of smoke and therefore pollution inside the households. This smoke is composed of a complex mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which at high levels of exposure cause carcinogenic, genotoxic effects and some chronic pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases; however, few studies relate kidney health with exposure to PAHs. Thus, the aim of this study was the evaluation of 10 hydroxylated metabolites of PAHs (OH-PAHs), and their correlation with biomarkers of early kidney damage renal (cystatin-C (Cys-C)), osteopontin (OPN), retinol-binding protein-4 (RPB-4), and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in the indigenous population of the Huasteca Potosina in Mexico. The results demonstrate the presence of the OH-PAHs and kidney damage biomarkers in 100% of the study population. The OH-PAHs were shown in the following order of frequency, 1-OH-PYR > 4-OH-PHE > 2-OH-NAP > 1-OH-NAP > 9-OH-FLU > 3-OH-FLU > 2-OH-FLU > 3-OH-PHE and with the following percentages of detection 97.6, 87.8, 78, 73.2, 68.3, 31.7, 14.6, and 12.2%, respectively. NGAL and RBP-4 were present in above 85% of the population, with mean concentrations of 78.5 ± 143.9 and 139.4 ± 131.7 ng/g creatinine, respectively, OPN (64%) with a mean concentration of 642.6 ± 723.3 ng/g g creatinine, and Cys-C with a mean concentration of 33.72 ± 44.96 ng/g creatinine. Correlations were found between 1-OH-NAP, 2-OH-NAP, 9-OH-FLU, and 4-OH-PHE and the four biomarkers of early kidney damage. 3-OH-FLU with OPN and 1-OH-PYR correlated significantly with NGAL, OPN, and RPB-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rogelio Flores-Ramírez
- CONACYT Research Fellow, Coordinación para la Innovación y Aplicación de la Ciencia y la Tecnología (CIACYT), Avenida Sierra Leona No. 550, Colonia Lomas Segunda Sección, CP 78210, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico
| | - Manolo Ortega-Romero
- Toxicology Department, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Olivier Christophe-Barbier
- Toxicology Department, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jessica Guadalupe Meléndez-Marmolejo
- Center for Applied Research on Environment and Health (CIAAS), Avenida Sierra Leona No. 550, Colonia Lomas Segunda Sección, CP 78210, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico
| | | | - Héctor A Lee-Rangel
- Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria, Centro de Biociencias, Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosí, km. 14.5 Carr. San Luis Potosí-Matehuala, 78321, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico
| | - Lorena Díaz de León-Martínez
- Center for Applied Research on Environment and Health (CIAAS), Avenida Sierra Leona No. 550, Colonia Lomas Segunda Sección, CP 78210, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico.
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30
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Characterizing the Performance of a Compact BTEX GC-PID for Near-Real Time Analysis and Field Deployment. SENSORS 2021; 21:s21062095. [PMID: 33802681 PMCID: PMC8002566 DOI: 10.3390/s21062095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we test the performance of a compact gas chromatograph with photoionization detector (GC-PID) and optimize the configuration to detect ambient (sub-ppb) levels of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers (BTEX). The GC-PID system was designed to serve as a relatively inexpensive (~10 k USD) and field-deployable air toxic screening tool alternative to conventional benchtop GCs. The instrument uses ambient air as a carrier gas and consists of a Tenax-GR sorbent-based preconcentrator, a gas sample valve, two capillary columns, and a photoionization detector (PID) with a small footprint and low power requirement. The performance of the GC-PID has been evaluated in terms of system linearity and sensitivity in field conditions. The BTEX-GC system demonstrated the capacity to detect BTEX at levels as high as 500 ppb with a linear calibration range of 0–100 ppb. A detection limit lower than 1 ppb was found for all BTEX compounds with a sampling volume of 1 L. No significant drift in the instrument was observed. A time-varying calibration technique was established that requires minimal equipment for field operations and optimizes the sampling procedure for field measurements. With an analysis time of less than 15 min, the compact GC-PID is ideal for field deployment of background and polluted atmospheres for near-real time measurements of BTEX. The results highlight the application of the compact and easily deployable GC-PID for community monitoring and screening of air toxics.
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