The Viseu Dão Lafões territory, as part of the Life Landscape Fire project, contributed to the study, drawn up under the “ArRiscO” project, on the analysis of firefighters’ exposure to smoke resulting from fire emissions, measuring atmospheric pollutants (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and total volatile organic compounds) with personal exposure monitors while fighting forest fires in the Viseu district.
The research project “ArRiscO – Occupational exposure of firefighters to air pollution – impact on COPD and asthma” was coordinated by LEPABE – Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, with the participation of the University Hospital Centre of São João (CHUSJ) and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP), and was funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).
Part of the information that contributed to assessing the effects of long-term exposure to atmospheric pollution from fighting forest fires on firefighters, especially with regard to COPD and asthma, was collected during controlled fire actions carried out in the Viseu Dão Lafões territory.
This study arose from the need to add knowledge to the existing literature on the effects of exposure to air pollution from forest firefighting on firefighters. It gathered relevant knowledge on the occupational health risks faced by firefighters and generated a series of practical recommendations to protect their health.
