High risk of respiratory diseases in children in the fire period in Western Amazon

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the toxicological risk of exposure to ozone (O(3)) and fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) among schoolchildren.. METHODS: Toxicological risk assessment was used to evaluate the risk of exposure to O(3) and PM(2.5) from biomass burning among schoolchildren aged six to 14 years, residents of Rio Branco, Acre, Southern Amazon, Brazil. We used Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the potential intake dose of both pollutants. RESULTS: During the slash-and-burn periods, O(3) and PM(2.5) concentrations reached 119.4 µg/m(3) and 51.1 µg/m(3), respectively. The schoolchildren incorporated medium potential doses regarding exposure to O(3) (2.83 μg/kg.day, 95%CI 2.72–2.94). For exposure to PM(2.5), we did not find toxicological risk (0.93 μg/kg.day, 95%CI 0.86–0.99). The toxicological risk for exposure to O(3) was greater than 1 for all children (QR = 2.75; 95%CI 2.64–2.86). CONCLUSIONS: Schoolchildren were exposed to high doses of O(3) during the dry season of the region. This posed a toxicological risk, especially to those who had previous diseases.