9/19/2023 0 Comments Muck firesConcentrations of airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and other chemical indicators of biomass burning were up to 15 times higher at Belle Glade during harvest than other times of the year ( Afshar-Mohajer et al. In comparison with nearby Delray Beach, PM 10 concentrations (PM that is 10 μ m or less in aerodynamic diameter) in Belle Glade were similar outside of harvest season, but on average 50% higher during sugarcane harvest season ( Sevimoğlu and Rogge 2016, 2015). Previous studies of air quality at Belle Glade, Florida, a community surrounded by sugarcane fields, strongly suggested that sugarcane fires significantly degraded air quality in the SGR. states, Florida historically has the highest PM 2.5 emissions from agricultural field burning, primarily due to sugarcane burning, with an estimated 18% of Florida’s 21 million residents living in counties with significant crop burning ( McCarty 2011). It is estimated that agricultural field burning in the United States could account for approximately 600 of these deaths ( McDuffie et al. 2021), but the true number could be larger after accounting for emerging information on toxicities of different PM 2.5 components and toxicity at lower exposure thresholds ( Burnett et al. PM 2.5 from all sources (e.g., energy generation, industry, vehicles) is associated with an estimated 46,000 to 88,000 deaths in the United States each year ( Cohen et al. Biomass burning smoke is also linked to serious, nonfatal respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity, including asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as low birth weight and increased COVID-19 mortality (e.g., Arbex et al. Sugarcane fires and other biomass burning fires are sources of PM 2.5, which is linked to lung and other cancers, cardiopulmonary disease such as ischemic heart disease, and premature death (e.g., Anenberg et al. EPA monitoring sites used in analysis (yellow boxes with dots in the center). The SGR is shown in black and colors show population density by ZIP code. (B) Locations of sugarcane fires and major cities (yellow circles, labeled with names) in peninsular Florida. Dark rectangular areas within the SGR are recently burned sugarcane fields. Background image is true-color satellite imagery from 10 and 28 January 2021 ( Masek et al. (A) Map of the SGR (yellow boundary) and surroundings. At the same time, Florida recently enacted legislation that, with limited exceptions, protects farmers from liability for particle emissions from farming operations (Florida Statute 823.14). However, residents in the SGR and coastal cities complain of frequent ash fall and smoke during the burning season and have launched complaints and lawsuits to stop the burning due to concerns over the negative health impacts of exposure to the smoke ( Bennett 2019 Reid 20 Sierra Club Calusa Group 2020). Sugarcane farming and processing is the dominant economic activity in the SGR because it employs > 14,000 people and generates $ 800 million in revenue annually ( Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension 2021). The SGR is also 10 – 40 km from the densely populated coastal cities of South Florida, which are home to > 6 million people ( Figure 1B). These fires are tightly clustered around the south shore of Lake Okeechobee surrounding the small cities of Belle Glade, Clewiston, and Pahokee, an area we refer to as the Sugarcane Growing Region (SGR Figure 1A). Each year from October to March, about 10,000 sugarcane fields covering over 400,000 acres are burned to reduce foliage before the harvest, minimize the biomass transported to mills, and streamline the sugar extraction process ( Baucum and Rice 2009 Gullett et al. Sugarcane fires are prominent and controversial sources of airborne particulate matter in South Florida.
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