According to articles I found in The Daily Camera (May 16, 2011) and The Denver Post (May 17, 2011), researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) found isocyanic acid (HNCO) in smoke produced by wildfires. Isocyanic acid has also been found in cigarette smoke and in the polluted air above Los Angeles. According to Daily Camera staff writer, Laura Snider, “The full effects of exposure to isocyanic acid in the air aren’t fully understood, but the chemical has been linked to cataracts, cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis.” Both The Daily Camera and The Denver Post credited the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) with publishing the scientists’ findings.
The Daily Camera (link) had more content in its online article than The Denver Post (link). The Daily Camera had a YouTube video and a photograph of the Fourmile Fire by a staff photographer. The Denver Post did not have any visuals. Both articles were brief but mentioned the health hazard to humans. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ website offers only an abstract of the article. To view the full article, one must either have a subscription to the publication or pay $10 for two-day access.
The Daily Camera and The Denver Post both quoted the same two scientists, Jim Roberts, with NOAA, and Joost de Gouw, with CIRES. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences gave attribution to 11 people, the two aforementioned researchers included. The PNAS abstract listed a number of sources of isocyanic acid besides wildfires, intentional burning of biomass and tobacco smoke. The Daily Camera and The Denver Post mentioned the burning of biomass (wildfires and human fires), cigarettes and urban pollution.
I liked The Daily Camera’s piece the most, partly because it had a multimedia element to it. In the YouTube video, CIRES researcher, Joost de Gouw, explains the issue in an interview. They show the chemical make up of isocyanic acid and the instrument they built to measure the acid particles in the air. The video also shows the facility in Missoula, Montana where the CIRES and NOAA researchers went to measure the particles in smoke with their instrument. De Gouw talks about how NOAA scientists were able to measure acidic particles in the air when smoke from the Fourmile Fire blew over Boulder.
Lee -
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting news that wildfires can be so harmful to human health. Who would have known! I am curious as to how much of an effect they have on climate change and how much wildfires contribute to deforestation. I also like the multimedia element from the Daily camera. Although it is a nerdy scientist, he is effective at explaining the experiments conducted and results found through their data collection.