Evaluating public exposure to airborne particulates from major incident fires: a back trajectory plume modelling approach
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Major incident fires at industrial facilities, particularly waste sites, pose a significant risk to public health because of the large amounts of hazardous airborne pollutants released into the ambient environment. Monitoring carried out during these fires is limited in spatial resolution, meaning that the full extent of population exposure is difficult to estimate. In this study, we overcome these limitations by using a novel back-trajectory plume modelling approach, applied to PM10 emission data from a significant tyre fire that occurred in the UK in 2010. This approach allows the calculation of an hourly emission rate that is then used in the forward modelling mode to predict hourly plume concentrations. An analysis of the modelled plume indicated that, as a reasonable worst case, up to 8000 residents in areas adjacent to the fire may have been exposed to PM10 concentrations that are deemed hazardous. Moreover, a vulnerability analysis showed that the exposed population had disproportionately poorer health than the national average, thus raising concerns about environmental justice. This work highlights the need to improve regulatory controls for waste sites located near urban areas and for further research on population exposure and the health impacts of major incident fires.
Date Issued
2025-06-15
Date Acceptance
2025-01-30
Citation
Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2025, 490
ISSN
0304-3894
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Hazardous Materials
Volume
490
Copyright Statement
© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/40022916
PII: S0304-3894(25)00367-X
Subjects
ACCIDENT
AIR-POLLUTION
DISPERSION
EMISSIONS
Engineering
Engineering, Environmental
Environmental justice
Environmental Sciences
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
HEALTH
Health vulnerabilities
IMPACT
INDUSTRIAL FIRES
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Major incident waste facility fires
model
PM10, ADMS-STAR back trajectory dispersion
Population exposure
QUALITY
Science & Technology
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES
Technology
VULNERABILITY
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
Netherlands
Article Number
137455
Date Publish Online
2025-02-01