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IMPACTS OF BIOMASS BURNING EMISSIONS ON AIR QUALITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE UNITED STATES
Citation:
TONG, D., R. MATHUR, G. POULIOT, K. L. SCHERE, S. YU, D. KANG, AND J. O. YOUNG. IMPACTS OF BIOMASS BURNING EMISSIONS ON AIR QUALITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE UNITED STATES. Presented at 5th Annual CMAS Models-3 User's Conference, Chapel Hill, NC, October 16 - 18, 2006.
Impact/Purpose:
The objectives of this task include: (1) to continuously evaluate and analyze the forecast results to provide diagnostic information on model performance and inadequacies to guide further evolution and refinements to the CMAQ model, and (2) extending the utility of the daily air quality forecast model data being produced by NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) as part of a NOAA/EPA collaboration in air quality forecasting, to EPA mission-oriented activities. These objectives include developing and maintaining a long-term database of air quality modeling results (ozone and PM2.5), performing periodic analysis and assessments using the data, and making the air quality database available and accessible to States, Regions, RPO's and others to use as input data for regional/local scale air quality modeling for policy/regulatory purposes.
Description:
Wildfire is a natural disaster that claims human life and property. While most attention has been paid to direct life and health threats, mostly to firefighters, this work focuses on the indirect impact of wildfires on the general population due to degraded air quality. Using an integrated assessment approach, we estimate that fire emissions during a 18-day five-active period have resulted in 161,000 health days lost from O3 exposures, and 465,000 health days lost from PM2.5 exposures.