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Environmental and Health Impacts of Fire: Primary and Secondary Effects in Local and Global Scale

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 12748

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wioletta Rogula-Kozłowska

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Guest Editor

1. The Main School of Fire Service, Faculty of Fire Safety Engineering, 52/54 Słowackiego St., 01-629 Warsaw, Poland
2. Institute of Environmental Engineering of Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Air Protection, 24 Curie-Skłodowskiej St. 41-819 Zabrze, Poland
Interests: aerosol chemistry and physics; particulate matter; air pollution modeling; exposure assessment; risk analysis; environmental statistics; indoor air quality; PM and fires; fire safety engineering; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; toxic elements
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Prof. Dr. Paweł Ogrodnik

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanics and Building Constructions, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159 St., Bldg. 33, Room 131, 02-00-776 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: fire safety engineering; circular economy; recycling of ceramic and glass materials; special concretes resistant to high temperatures; assessment of engineering structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Adam Krasuski

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Guest Editor

Institute of Safety Engineering, The Main School of Fire Service, 52/54 Słowackiego St., 01-629 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: fire risk assessment; stochastic simulations; fire and evacuation modeling; decision support systems; data mining
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Environmental engineering remains correlated with fire safety engineering. Both domains share similar objectives—protecting people and the environment; applied methods—mass transport modeling and risk analysis; and fields of interest—construction and industry. Despite these close relationships, there are still gaps in the holistic evaluation of human-induced fires on the environment. The domain of fire safety engineering is mostly concentrated on fire dynamics and its immediate and local impact on people or property, ignoring mostly long-term and global-scale consequences for humans and the environment. On the other hand, environmental engineering scientists discuss mostly the problems of global-scale monitoring of the environment, the impact of pollution on life expectancy, as well as tracking back the source of the pollution. However, the type of burning material and the impact of air access to the fire on the particle formation, their transport and toxicity as well as the effects of firefighting tactics on the global health are rarely on the agendas of environmental engineers’ discussions.

The relationship between fires and the environment with respect to fire combustion processes seems crucial in the light of recent research. Regarding the scientific reports, enclosure fires are linked with human health exposure by primary and secondary contamination of the environment. Addressing these problems efficiently requires cooperation both fire safety engineering and environmental engineering. The joint effort of these two domains which can be also beneficial in large open fires that affect the environment is considered known. All the research improving existing solutions related to the limitation of the scale, consequences, duration and the health exposure of all types of fires will be very welcome.

The primary goal of this Special Issue is to bridge the gap between fire safety engineering and environmental engineering, creating the space for discussion related to the primary and secondary effects of fires on global health and the environment. Moreover, the Special Issue is also interested in practical methods and activities aimed at the limitation of the local and global consequences of fires.

Prof. Wioletta Rogula-Kozłowska
Prof. Paweł Ogrodnik
Prof. Adam Krasuski
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

Fire toxicity
Fire/Environmental chemistry, physics, dynamics and interactions
Human behaviour in fire
Fire protection methods and materials
Fire/Environmental safety management and legislation
Occupational/Environmental health and safety
Exposure assessment, measurement and monitoring of fire and hazardous materials
Risk assessment (hazard prevention, control and management)
Model of transportation of species and hazardous materials
Statistical models and methods in fire and environmental safety engineering

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1887 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of South East Asia Forest Fires on Ambient Particulate Matter Concentrations in Singapore: An Ecological Study Using Random Forest and Vector Autoregressive Models

by Jayanthi Rajarethinam, Joel Aik and Jing Tian

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(24), 9345; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249345 - 14 Dec 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2764

Abstract

Haze, due to biomass burning, is a recurring problem in Southeast Asia (SEA). Exposure to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) remains an important public health concern. In this paper, we examined the long-term seasonality of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ in Singapore. To study the association between forest fires in SEA and air quality in Singapore, we built two machine learning models, including the random forest (RF) model and the vector autoregressive (VAR) model, using a benchmark air quality dataset containing daily PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ from 2009 to 2018. Furthermore, we incorporated weather parameters as independent variables. We observed two annual peaks, one in the middle of the year and one at the end of the year for both PM_2.5 and PM₁₀. Singapore was more affected by fires from Kalimantan compared to fires from other SEA countries. VAR models performed better than RF with Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) values being 0.8% and 6.1% lower for PM_2.5 and PM_10, respectively. The situation in Singapore can be reasonably anticipated with predictive models that incorporate information on forest fires and weather variations. Public communication of anticipated air quality at the national level benefits those at higher risk of experiencing poorer health due to poorer air quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Health Impacts of Fire: Primary and Secondary Effects in Local and Global Scale)

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11 pages, 3717 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Smoke Emission Properties of Floor Covering Materials of Furnished Apartments in a Building

by Marzena Półka and Anna Szajewska

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(23), 9019; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17239019 - 3 Dec 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1508

Abstract

The paper presents results of tests related to smoke optical density conducted on four various textile floor coverings for the needs of building interior design. Smoke emission is one of basic elements that characterize the fire environment. Consequently, the objective of the paper was to carry out a comparative analysis of smoke generation of chosen floor coverings for selected thermal exposures and in the presence or absence of a stimulus igniting the volatile gaseous phase (pilot flame). For the needs of our experimental research use was made of polypropylene, polyester, composite of wool, cotton, viscose and polyamide floor coverings. The highest value of the maximum specific optical density of smoke (494.7) was recorded for the floor covering consisting of 100% polypropylene (with higher fiber) under flameless combustion conditions (without the pilot flame). The polypropylene floor covering without underlay proved to be the best material from among all the tested ones with respect to smoke generating properties, and its samples offered the lowest value of optical density after 4 min for testing variants without the application of a pilot burner, with the flammable phase of decomposition products of this sample during the testing in which the burner was used to ignite at the latest. Experimental research has been carried out based on the standard ISO 5659–2:2017–08. The tests results were compared with international optical smoke density requirements for the interior design of ships and trains. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Health Impacts of Fire: Primary and Secondary Effects in Local and Global Scale)

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20 pages, 5716 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Apartment Tightness on Temperature Variability during a Fire

by Jerzy Gałaj and Damian Saleta

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(12), 4590; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124590 - 26 Jun 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2436

Abstract

Along with the thermal modernization process of old residential buildings, there has been a significant increase in the air tightness of apartments, which may contribute to the deterioration of the safety of users and rescue teams in a fire. The main goal of this study was to investigate the impact of the air tightness of an apartment on fire growth and temperature variability. In the work, an experimental method was applied. Two full-scale fire tests were carried out, one in a sealed apartment and the other in unsealed one. The temperature was measured by thirty-two thermocouples. Two thermal imaging and video cameras were also used to evaluate a temperature field as well as flame and smoke height. Based on the analysis, conclusions have been formulated. It is noteworthy that the highest temperatures and significant increase in pressure were obtained in a sealed apartment, but dangerous and critical conditions regarding firefighters’ safety were achieved faster and persisted much longer in an unsealed one. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Health Impacts of Fire: Primary and Secondary Effects in Local and Global Scale)

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14 pages, 2332 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Concentrations of Particulate Matter and PM-Bound Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Released during Combustion of Various Types of Materials and Possible Toxicological Potential of the Emissions: The Results of Preliminary Studies

by Karolina Bralewska and Joanna Rakowska

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(9), 3202; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17093202 - 5 May 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2820

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and PM-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during the combustion of various types of materials (i.e., oak, beech, and pine wood, polypropylene, polyurethane, paper, cotton, and oriented strand board (OSB)), and to compare the carcinogenic, mutagenic, and toxic potential of the emissions during the burning of these materials. Personal portable sampling devices were used to collect samples and to determine concentrations of PM₄, total suspended particles (TSPs), PM-bound PAHs. The samples were collected during controlled fires under laboratory conditions. The highest PM concentration was recorded during the burning of polyurethane (PM₄-1818 mg/m³, TSP-2800 mg/m³), while the highest concentration of PAH mixture was recorded when burning OSB (628.5 µg/m³ PM₄-bound; 791.2 µg/m³ TSP-bound PAHs). Thus, the highest carcinogenic (85.5 µg/m³), mutagenic (68.2 µg/m³) and toxic equivalents (26.4 ng/m³) of the PAH mixture were noted during OSB combustion. Carcinogenic potential (CP) of PAH group was determined mainly by phenanthrene (CP on average 21.6%) and pyrene concentrations (13.3%). The results of the study express possible adverse effects from PM-bound PAHs released during combustion for firefighters and other people staying near a fire site. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Health Impacts of Fire: Primary and Secondary Effects in Local and Global Scale)

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10 pages, 5032 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Effectiveness of Decontamination Fluids on the Level of Biological Contamination of Firefighter Suits

by Andrzej Polanczyk, Aleksandra Piechota-Polanczyk, Anna Dmochowska, Malgorzata Majder-Lopatka and Zdzislaw Salamonowicz

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(8), 2815; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082815 - 19 Apr 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2675

Abstract

The scope of tasks of chemical and ecological rescue procedures includes prevention of terrorist attacks with biological weapons. After each action, firefighters are obliged to clean and disinfect their outfits to prevent the potential spreading of harmful microorganisms. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of decontamination fluids used to disinfect firefighter’s suits. Two types of clothes were analyzed: special combat clothing (NOMEX), and the heavy gas-tight chemical type 1a suit. Swabbed places were cut out and sterilized mechanically using detergent and alcohol. Each time, smears were made on sterile glass, fixed in pure ethanol and stained using the Gram method. After this, the staining samples were air dried and photographed under a light microscope at magnification 1000×. Each smear was made in triplicate and the relative number of stained microorganisms was analyzed using ImageJ software. The results showed that detergent significantly decreased the number of pathogens in the chest area on the NOMEX suit and the type 1a-gas-tight clothing and was more effective than alcohol, especially in case of the NOMEX suit. In conclusion, the detergent was more efficient in decontaminating the NOMEX outfit than the heavy gas-tight clothing, whose surface was better cleaned by the alcohol. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Health Impacts of Fire: Primary and Secondary Effects in Local and Global Scale)

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