Abstract
Vegetation fires across the tropics emit fine particulate matter (PM2.5) to the atmosphere, degrading regional air quality and impacting human health. Extensive vegetation fires occur regularly across the Amazon basin, but there have been no detailed assessments of the impacts on air quality or human health. We used updated exposure-response relationships and a regional climate-chemistry model, evaluated against a comprehensive set of observational data, to provide the first in-depth assessment of the potential public health benefits due to fire prevention across the Amazon Basin. We focused on 2012, a year with emissions similar to the 11-year average (2008 to 2018). Vegetation fires contributed >80% of simulated dry season mean surface PM2.5 in the western Amazon region particularly in Bolivia and Brazilian states of Rondônia, Acre, and Mato Grosso. We estimate that the prevention of vegetation fires would have averted 16 800 (95UI: 16 300–17 400) premature deaths and 641 000 (95UI: 551 900–741 300) disability adjusted life years (DALYs) across South America, with 26% of the avoided health burden located within the Amazon Basin. The health benefits of fire prevention in the Amazon are comparable to those found in Equatorial Asia.
Highlights
Vegetation and peat fires are an important source of particular matter (PM) and trace gases to the atmosphere, which can degrade regional air quality and adversely impact human health
We estimate that the prevention of vegetation fires would have averted 16 800 (95UI: 16 300–17 400) premature deaths and 641 000 (95UI: 551 900–741 300) disability adjusted life years (DALYs) across South America, with 26% of the avoided health burden located within the Amazon Basin
We used a high-resolution regional air quality model to assess the impacts of vegetation fires on regional South American air quality and estimate the public health benefits resulting from prevention of fires
Summary
Vegetation and peat fires are an important source of particular matter (PM) and trace gases to the atmosphere, which can degrade regional air quality and adversely impact human health. Exposure to PM2.5 from vegetation and peat fires is estimated to cause 179 000–339 000 premature deaths each year, equivalent to 5% of the present-day global burden of disease due to ambient PM2.5 exposure (Johnston et al 2012, Lelieveld et al 2015). In the Amazon, fire emissions are greater in years with higher deforestation rates (Arãgao et al 2008, Reddington et al 2015). Deforestation alters regional climate, increasing local temperatures (Baker and Spracklen 2019) and reducing regional rainfall (Spracklen et al 2012, Spracklen and Garcia-Carreras 2015, Zemp et al 2017). Drought, fire and smoke exacerbate the potential for tipping points in the Amazon climate (Nepstad et al 2008, Lovejoy and Nobre 2018)
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