FOREST FIRES AND ITS EFFECT ON AIR POLLUTION IN SUMMER

Abstract: Air pollution levels; It shows how much the interaction is between particles such as dust, smoke, odour, water vapor and gas, and chemicals that are in amounts that can harm living things and the environment. While determining the level of air pollution, it is essential to consider the structure of the region and meteorological conditions. It is known that the factors causing air pollution can have negative effects on living and environmental health and can create significant effects, and therefore air pollution is seen as an important problem. In order to reduce these effects, it is important to improve air quality as well as measuring pollutants and monitoring air quality; It is necessary to determine the source of the cause of pollution. Especially in hot and dry weather, forests with large combustible materials, which are at risk of fire, can therefore be damaged. The air temperature reaching high points, the relative humidity falling below 30%, and the drying winds that reduce the direction, intensity and humidity of the wind are the reasons for the emergence and spread of forest fires. Air pollution, the source of which is forest fire, especially due to the duration and severity of exposure to particulate matter; It can cause irritation in the respiratory tract, burning in the nose and eyes, decrease in air volume in the lungs, diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, heart failure, and even premature death. About 90% of the particulate matter emitted from the smoke caused by forest fires consists of PM and is of different sizes. The spread of forest fires, whether they are long or short; Short- and long-term weather changes such as atmospheric pressure, increase-decrease in temperature, wind direction and strength, decrease-increase in relative humidity and precipitation played a major role.