A study of particulate emissions during 23 major industrial fires: Implications for human health.

A study of particulate emissions during 23 major industrial fires: Implications for human health. Environ Int. 2018 Mar 16;112:310-323 Authors: Griffiths SD, Chappell P, Entwistle JA, Kelly FJ, Deary ME Abstract Public exposure to significantly elevated levels of particulate matter (PM) as a result of major fires at industrial sites is a worldwide problem. Our paper describes how the United Kingdom developed its Air Quality in Major Incidents (AQinMI) service to provide fire emission plume concentration data for use by managers at the time of the incident and to allow an informed public health response. It is one of the first civilian services of its type anywhere in the world. Based on the involvement of several of the authors in the AQinMI service, we describe the service's function, detail the nature of fires covered by the service, and report for the first time on the concentration ranges of PM to which populations may be exposed in major incident fires. We also consider the human health impacts of short-term exposure to significantly elevated PM concentrations and reflect on the appropriateness of current short-term guideline values in providing public health advice. We have analysed monitoring data for airborne PM (≤10μm, PM10;≤2.5μm, PM2.5 and ≤1.0μm, PM1) collected by AQinMI teams using an Osiris laser light scattering monitor, the UK Environment Agency's 'indicative standard' equipment, during deployment to 23 major...
Source: Environment International - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Environ Int Source Type: research