The study investigated the exposure concentrations to the harmful pollutants black carbon and PM2.5 during wildfires and prescribed burns in Catalonia, Spain, from 2022 to 2024. It highlighted the potential health risks associated with the emissions of these pollutants, which are linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Findings stressed how exposure may vary depending on the fire management tasks: for instance, post-combustion activities surprisingly proved to entail higher concentrations than previously thought.
THE HEALTH-RELATED IMPLICATIONS OF WILDFIRES
Wildfire emissions contain pollutants strongly linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as various types of cancer. With a set of monitoring devices, among the project Innovation Actions, IDAEA-CSIC monitored the atmospheric pollutant concentrations that firefighters face during wildfires and prescribed burns in real time.
The concentrations of fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) during wildfires were found to be relevant, with averages around 152 µg/m³, while prescribed burns recorded between 110 and 145 µg/m³. In other words, fine particulate peaks were higher during controlled burns, while the total exposure resulted greater during wildfires, due to their longer duration.
