Articles producció científica> Enginyeria Química

Population exposure to particulate-matter and related mortality due to the Portuguese wildfires in October 2017 driven by storm Ophelia

  • Identification data

    Identifier: imarina:9058338
    Authors:
    Augusto, SofiaRatola, NunoTarin-Carrasco, PatriciaJimenez-Guerrero, PedroTurco, MarcoSchuhmacher, MartaCosta, SolangeTeixeira, J PCosta, Carla
    Abstract:
    In October 2017, hundreds of wildfires ravaged the forests of the north and centre of Portugal. The fires were fanned by strong winds as tropical storm Ophelia swept the Iberian coast, dragging up smoke (together with Saharan dust from north-western Africa) into higher western European latitudes. Here we analyse the long-range transport of particulate matter (PM10) and study associations between PM10 and short-term mortality in the Portuguese population exposed to PM10 due to the October 2017 wildfires, the worst fire sequence in the country over the last decades. We analysed space- and ground-level observations to track the smoke plume and dust trajectory over Portugal and Europe, and to access PM10 concentrations during the wildfires. The effects of PM10 on mortality were evaluated using satellite data for exposure and Poisson regression models. The smoke plume covered most western European countries (including Spain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands), and reached the United Kingdom, where the population was exposed in average to an additional PM10 level of 11.7 mu g/m(3) during seven smoky days (three with dust) in relation to the reference days (days without smoke or dust), revealing the impact of the wildfires on distant populations. In Portugal, the population was exposed in average to additional PM10 levels that varied from 16.2 to 120.6 mu g/m(3) in smoky days with dust and from 6.1 to 20.9 mu g/m(3) in dust-free smoky days. Results suggest that PM10 had a significant effect on the same day natural and cardiorespiratory mortalities during the month of October 2017. For every additional 10 mu g/m(3) of PM10, there was a 0.89% (95% confidence interval, CI, 0-1.77%) increase in the number of natural deaths and a 2.34% (95% CI, 0.99-3.66%) increase in the number
  • Others:

    Author, as appears in the article.: Augusto, Sofia; Ratola, Nuno; Tarin-Carrasco, Patricia; Jimenez-Guerrero, Pedro; Turco, Marco; Schuhmacher, Marta; Costa, Solange; Teixeira, J P; Costa, Carla
    Department: Enginyeria Química
    URV's Author/s: Schuhmacher Ansuategui, Marta
    Keywords: Wildfires Tire landfill fire Source apportionment Saharan dust Pm10 Particles Mortality Impacts Hospital admissions Health Forest-fires Exposure assessment Bushfire smoke Air-pollution
    Abstract: In October 2017, hundreds of wildfires ravaged the forests of the north and centre of Portugal. The fires were fanned by strong winds as tropical storm Ophelia swept the Iberian coast, dragging up smoke (together with Saharan dust from north-western Africa) into higher western European latitudes. Here we analyse the long-range transport of particulate matter (PM10) and study associations between PM10 and short-term mortality in the Portuguese population exposed to PM10 due to the October 2017 wildfires, the worst fire sequence in the country over the last decades. We analysed space- and ground-level observations to track the smoke plume and dust trajectory over Portugal and Europe, and to access PM10 concentrations during the wildfires. The effects of PM10 on mortality were evaluated using satellite data for exposure and Poisson regression models. The smoke plume covered most western European countries (including Spain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands), and reached the United Kingdom, where the population was exposed in average to an additional PM10 level of 11.7 mu g/m(3) during seven smoky days (three with dust) in relation to the reference days (days without smoke or dust), revealing the impact of the wildfires on distant populations. In Portugal, the population was exposed in average to additional PM10 levels that varied from 16.2 to 120.6 mu g/m(3) in smoky days with dust and from 6.1 to 20.9 mu g/m(3) in dust-free smoky days. Results suggest that PM10 had a significant effect on the same day natural and cardiorespiratory mortalities during the month of October 2017. For every additional 10 mu g/m(3) of PM10, there was a 0.89% (95% confidence interval, CI, 0-1.77%) increase in the number of natural deaths and a 2.34% (95% CI, 0.99-3.66%) increase in the number of cardiorespiratory-related deaths. With rising temperatures and a higher frequency of storms due to climate change, PM from Iberian wildfires together with NW African dust will tend to be more often transported into Northern European countries, which may carry health threats to areas far from the ignition sites.
    Thematic Areas: Zootecnia / recursos pesqueiros Saúde coletiva Química Medicina iii Medicina ii Medicina i Interdisciplinar Geociências General medicine General environmental science Farmacia Environmental sciences Environmental science (miscellaneous) Environmental science (all) Engenharias iv Engenharias ii Engenharias i Ciências biológicas iii Ciências biológicas ii Ciências biológicas i Ciências ambientais Ciências agrárias i Biotecnología Biodiversidade Astronomia / física Administração pública e de empresas, ciências contábeis e turismo
    licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
    Author's mail: marta.schuhmacher@urv.cat
    Author identifier: 0000-0003-4381-2490
    Record's date: 2024-05-11
    Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
    Link to the original source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020320110
    Papper original source: Environment International. 144 (106056):
    APA: Augusto, Sofia; Ratola, Nuno; Tarin-Carrasco, Patricia; Jimenez-Guerrero, Pedro; Turco, Marco; Schuhmacher, Marta; Costa, Solange; Teixeira, J P; Cost (2020). Population exposure to particulate-matter and related mortality due to the Portuguese wildfires in October 2017 driven by storm Ophelia. Environment International, 144(106056), -. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106056
    Licence document URL: https://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
    Article's DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106056
    Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili
    Journal publication year: 2020
    Publication Type: Journal Publications
  • Keywords:

    Environmental Science (Miscellaneous),Environmental Sciences
    Wildfires
    Tire landfill fire
    Source apportionment
    Saharan dust
    Pm10
    Particles
    Mortality
    Impacts
    Hospital admissions
    Health
    Forest-fires
    Exposure assessment
    Bushfire smoke
    Air-pollution
    Zootecnia / recursos pesqueiros
    Saúde coletiva
    Química
    Medicina iii
    Medicina ii
    Medicina i
    Interdisciplinar
    Geociências
    General medicine
    General environmental science
    Farmacia
    Environmental sciences
    Environmental science (miscellaneous)
    Environmental science (all)
    Engenharias iv
    Engenharias ii
    Engenharias i
    Ciências biológicas iii
    Ciências biológicas ii
    Ciências biológicas i
    Ciências ambientais
    Ciências agrárias i
    Biotecnología
    Biodiversidade
    Astronomia / física
    Administração pública e de empresas, ciências contábeis e turismo
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