Assessing the health impacts of peatland fires: a case study for Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

Saritha Kittie Uda,Lars Hein,Dwi Atmoko

doi:10.1007/s11356-019-06264-x

Abstract

The conversion of Indonesian tropical peatlands has been associated with the recurring problems of peatland fires and smoke affecting humans and the environment. Yet, the local government and public in the affected areas have paid little attention to the impacts and costs of the poor air quality on human health. This study aims to analyse the long-term health impacts of the peat smoke exposure to the local populations. We applied the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model to determine the smoke dispersion and the associated PM2.5 concentrations of the resulted plumes from the fire hotspots in the deep and shallow peatlands in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, that occurred during a 5-year period (2011–2015). We subsequently quantified the long-term health impacts of PM2.5 on the local people down to the village level based on the human health risk assessment approach. Our study shows that the average increase in the annual mean PM2.5 concentration due to peatland fires in Central Kalimantan was 26 μg/m3 which is more than twice the recommended value of the World Health Organisation Air Quality Guidelines. This increase in PM2.5 leads to increased occurrence of a range of air pollution–related diseases and premature mortality. The number of premature mortality cases can be estimated at 648 cases per year (26 mortality cases per 100,000 population) among others due to chronic respiratory, cardiovascular and lung cancer. Our results shed further light on the long-term health impacts of peatland fires in Indonesia and the importance of sustainable peatland management.

Highlights

Responsible editor: Philippe GarriguesEnvironmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB Wageningen, The NetherlandsBiology Study Program, University of Palangka Raya, Jl
In Indonesia, peatland fires are mostly anthropogenic that may be started by farmers as part of small-scale land clearing activities, and by private companies to prepare for plantation establishment (Miettinen et al 2017; Uda et al 2017; Atwood et al 2016; Turetsky et al 2015; Marlier et al 2015)
Our analysis shows that fires in both deep and shallow peatlands in Central Kalimantan are important sources of air pollution

Summary

Introduction

Responsible editor: Philippe GarriguesEnvironmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB Wageningen, The NetherlandsBiology Study Program, University of Palangka Raya, Jl. Smoke from peatland fires is a significant air pollution source associated with harmful impacts on human health and the environment. During the peatland fire episodes, in particular during the dry seasons in El Niño years, smoke covers major parts of Indonesia and even neighbouring countries (Tacconi 2016; Crippa et al 2016). This results in negative impacts on people’s health and imposes substantial costs to society. Reported impacts include general negative health effects; disruption on Environ Sci Pollut Res (2019) 26:31315–31327 transportation (flights, road trips) and tourism business; reduced enjoyment and quality of life; increased production of ozone, acid rain, and greenhouse gases; biodiversity loss; and reduced photosynthesis in plants because of the blocked solar radiation (Benjamin et al 2017; World Bank 2016; Koplitz et al 2016; Hirano et al 2012)

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