Sources and characteristics of firefighting effluents

The emissions produced by a fire result from complex physicochemical processes that begin in the earliest stages of fire development. Their nature and quantity depend on the materials involved, the combustion conditions, and interactions with fire-suppressing agents. These emissions are responsible for the immediate and long-term environmental impacts observed following a fire. They are not limited to the primary pollutants emitted at the source: chemical transformations in the atmosphere generate secondary pollutants that exacerbate the environmental impact. Atmospheric reactions involving NO _x and VOCs emitted during fires can lead to the formation of tropospheric ozone through disruption of the Chapman cycle and to the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA), while the oxidation of sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide (oleum, SO...