Information response

   Issue 21 june 2008




Bushfire smoke and public health
Dr Rachel Tham, Monash University School of Rural Health
Dr Tina Bell, School of Forest and Ecosystem Science, University of Melbourne
This work was completed by Rachel Tham as part of the Victorian Public Health Training Scheme administered by the
Victorian Department of Human Services
                                                       Bushfires produce copious quantities             Smoke composition
About this fire note                                   of smoke that often disperses over long
                                                                                                        Smoke produced during bushfires or
                                                       distances depending on the climatic
                                                                                                        prescribed burning contains a complex
This Fire Note is not intended to be used as advice    conditions, topography and vegetation
                                                                                                        mixture of particulate matter, water vapour
for the general public.                                sources.
                                                                                                        and gases, many of which are known to be
                                                                                                        air pollutants or greenhouse gases.
It is a summary of a report that collated the          As a result, smoke may affect human
information available to the general public            communities that are not directly                Particulate matter results from incomplete
concerning health issues associated with bushfire      threatened by bushfire or impacted by            combustion of vegetation and varies
smoke.                                                 prescribed burning.                              in concentration, composition and size
                                                                                                        distribution.
It draws on interviews with relevant agencies,         The presence of greater numbers of people
                                                                                                        The gaseous components of smoke include
published scientific literature and an assortment      living in or near the bush has increased the
                                                                                                        carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane,
of information materials available to the general      size of the at-risk population in the event of
                                                                                                        ammonia, oxides of nitrogen, sulphur
public, including pamphlets, websites and phone        a bushfire.
                                                                                                        dioxide, volatile organic compounds (e.g.
helplines.
                                                                                                        alcohols, esters, carbonyls, benzenes and
                                                       The population health impacts associated
                                                                                                        acids) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
                                                       with smoke from bushfires are not well
                                                                                                        (e.g. fluorene, anthracene, pyrene, perylene
About the project                                      defined but are thought to have possible
                                                                                                        and coronene). Gases and particulate matter
                                                       adverse effects on respiratory and
Smoke composition from prescribed and                                                                   may be considered to be ‘primary’ if they are
                                                       cardiovascular systems and are therefore
wildfires and health                                                                                    emitted at the source and remain unchanged
                                                       important considerations for public health,
(Project B 2.2)                                                                                         or ‘secondary’ if they are formed from
                                                       and for emergency and environmental
                                                                                                        gaseous precursors by various oxidation
                                                       agencies.
This project is applying new and existing                                                               pathways (e.g. ozone).
techniques to measure the contribution of
prescribed burns and wildfires to particulate
matter, classical pollutants, dioxins, irritants and
carcinogens, greenhouse gases, photochemically
active gases and ozone-depleting chemicals in
smoke emissions.

The project will answer key questions about
ecological and environmental aspects of bushfire
smoke - What contribution do prescribed burning
and wildfires make to greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere? What is the extent of loss of nutrients
through oxidation of carbon, nitrogen and
sulphur?

And, is there a ‘good’ side to smoke for
regeneration of vegetation, for example in the
promotion of germination of seeds?

The Project Leader is Dr Tina Bell, from the
School of Forest and Ecosystem Science at the
University of Melbourne.


   © Bushfire CRC Ltd 2008                                                                                                                              1