Amazon Wildfires and Respiratory Health: Impacts during the Forest Fire Season from 2009 to 2019

Maura R. Ribeiro, Marcos V. M. Lima, Roberto C. Ilacqua, Eriane J. L. Savoia, Rogerio Alvarenga, Amy Y. Vittor, Rodrigo D. Raimundo and Gabriel Z. Laporta ()
Additional contact information
Maura R. Ribeiro: Graduate Program in Health Sciences, FMABC Medical School University Center, Santo André 09060-870, SP, Brazil
Marcos V. M. Lima: Health Surveillance Department, Acre State Secretary of Health, Rio Branco 69914-220, AC, Brazil
Roberto C. Ilacqua: Graduate Program in Health Sciences, FMABC Medical School University Center, Santo André 09060-870, SP, Brazil
Eriane J. L. Savoia: Environmental Health Department, FMABC Medical School University Center, Santo André 09060-870, SP, Brazil
Rogerio Alvarenga: Environmental Health Department, FMABC Medical School University Center, Santo André 09060-870, SP, Brazil
Amy Y. Vittor: Department of Medicine, Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Rodrigo D. Raimundo: Graduate Program in Health Sciences, FMABC Medical School University Center, Santo André 09060-870, SP, Brazil
Gabriel Z. Laporta: Graduate Program in Health Sciences, FMABC Medical School University Center, Santo André 09060-870, SP, Brazil

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 6, 1-15

Abstract: The Brazilian Amazon, a vital tropical region, faces escalating threats from human activities, agriculture, and climate change. This study aims to assess the relationship between forest fire occurrences, meteorological factors, and hospitalizations due to respiratory diseases in the Legal Amazon region from 2009 to 2019. Employing simultaneous equation models with official data, we examined the association between deforestation-induced fires and respiratory health issues. Over the studied period, the Legal Amazon region recorded a staggering 1,438,322 wildfires, with 1,218,606 (85%) occurring during August–December, known as the forest fire season. During the forest fire season, a substantial portion (566,707) of the total 1,532,228 hospital admissions for respiratory diseases were recorded in individuals aged 0–14 years and 60 years and above. A model consisting of two sets of simultaneous equations was constructed. This model illustrates the seasonal fluctuations in meteorological conditions driving human activities associated with increased forest fires. It also represents how air quality variations impact the occurrence of respiratory diseases during forest fires. This modeling approach unveiled that drier conditions, elevated temperatures, and reduced precipitation exacerbate fire incidents, impacting hospital admissions for respiratory diseases at a rate as high as 22 hospital admissions per 1000 forest fire events during the forest fire season in the Legal Amazon, 2009–2019. This research highlights the urgent need for environmental and health policies to mitigate the effects of Amazon rainforest wildfires, stressing the interplay of deforestation, climate change, and human-induced fires on respiratory health.

Keywords: air pollution; climate change; epidemiological study; patient admission; respiratory diseases; wildfires (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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