monitoring sites operated by the National Park Service in Sierra Nevada, California, are used to develop an ozone forecasting model and to estimate the contribution of wildland fires on ambient ozone levels. The analyses of weather and ozone data pointed to the transport of ozone precursors from the Central Valley as an important source of pollution in these National Parks. Comparisons of forecasted and observed values demonstrated that accurate forecasts of next-day hourly ozone levels may be achieved by using a time series model with historic averages, expected local weather and modeled PM values as explanatory variables. Results on fire smoke influence indicated occurrence of significant increases in average ozone levels with increasing fire activity. The overall effect on diurnal ozone values, however, was small when compared with the amount of variability attributed to sources other than fire. We have demonstrated that it is possible to produce accurate forecasts of next-day hourly ozone levels in the Sierra Nevada, CA, during fire season.

Since the discovery of fullerenes in 1985, these carbon nanospheres have attracted attention regarding their physico/chemical properties. Despite little knowledge about their impact on the environment and human health, the production of fullerenes has already reached an industrial scale. However, the toxicity of C60 is still controversially discussed. The aim of this study was to clarify the biological effects of tetrahydrofuran (THF) suspended C60 fullerene in comparison to water stirred C60 fullerene suspensions. Beyond that, we analyzed the effects on the Crustacea Daphnia magna an indicator for ecotoxicological effects and the human lung epithelial cell line A549 as a simplified model for the respiratory tract. We could demonstrate that water-soluble side products which were formed in THF nC60 suspension were responsible for the observed acute toxic effects, whereas fullerenes themselves had no negative effect regardless of the preparative route on either A549 cell in vitro or D. magna in vivo. THF suspended nC60 did not show any toxic effect to Daphnia and lung cells when side products were eliminated by additional washing steps.

High concentration particulate matter 2.5 released from forest fires, in addition to direct burns and asphyxia, PM₂.₅ is one of the main pollutants which threaten the safety of forest fire fighter. Therefore, to assess spatial distribution of PM₂.₅, a simulation study was conducted. Fuel beds with different moisture contents and loads were constructed. 144 times burning experiments were carried out under different wind speeds by using wind tunnel device. PM₂.₅ particles at different spatial points were collected and calculated. The results show that, in the two of three variables interaction between wind speed, fuel load, and, except fuel moisture content, wind speed and fuel load are positively correlated with the PM₂.₅ concentrations. From PM₂.₅ concentration which collected at each point in the horizontal and vertical directions, the overall trend is that PM₂.₅ concentration increases along the horizontal downwind direction (C and D higer than A and B) and the vertical upward direction (A and C higer than B and D) Based on BP neural network, the spatial distribution model of PM₂.₅ concentration with single hidden layer was established. The prediction accuracy of modeling samples and validation samples is balanced when hidden layer node is 5. This study will help to make reference for PM₂.₅ occupational exposure standards, forest fire smoke management and forest fire management in China.

The chemical, mineralogical, and leaching behavior of three dominant Greek forest species ashes (Pinus halepensis, Pistacia lentiscus, and Olea europaea), before and after treating forest species with diammonium phosphate (DAP) 5% and 10% weight to weight, have been studied using a new five-step shake leaching method at pH = 6. For the analysis of ashes (prior and after leaching) and leachants, the following analytical techniques were used: atomic absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis. The presence of DAP obstructs the extraction process of some metal ions (i.e., Na, K) contained in ashes by converting the soluble carbonate salts to the less soluble phosphates (i.e., Na₂CO₃ [rightward arrow] Na₃PO₄). On the contrary, DAP enhances the mobility of some other metals (i.e., Ca) by forming more soluble compounds [i.e., CaCO₃ [rightward arrow] Ca₃(PO₄)₂]. In addition, the presence of DAP lowers the pH of leachates, causing dissolution of some toxic elements (i.e., Mn, Pb, Zn). Unexpectedly, DAP prevents the leachability of Cr from ash. The above study concerns the environmental effects (soil and ground and underground water streams) caused by the use of chemical retardants on forest fires.