It’s “a classic atmospheric pollution event,” explains a fire physics specialist.

The violent fires that have hit Portugal in recent days have caused large plumes of smoke. These are expected to reach western France over the weekend, according to a press release from the European Copernicus Observatory published on Thursday, September 19.

“We must treat this type of event as a classic air pollution event”analysis on franceinfo Friday September 20 Dominique Morvan, specialist in fire physics. “There is a risk” for the body, but “it all depends on the concentration” into pollutants. The researcher at the University of Aix-Marseille explains that particles “very fine” can be found in these fumes. “They have the property of being able to penetrate very deeply into the respiratory system” and therefore cause respiratory failure and heart problems.

THE “elderly people” and the “very young children” are more at risk from the phenomenon. But it also depends “altitude reached” by the plume of smoke in the atmosphere, the specialist specifies. In Australia, faced with violent fires in 2019, some plumes reached 10 kilometers high. “They entered the global atmospheric circulation and could circle the earth.”explains the specialist. The country had recorded 34 deaths after these megafires, but “in the longer term”, “400 people died prematurely” due to “prolonged or short-term exposure to these fumes”says Dominique Morvan.

Concerning the arrival of Portuguese panache in France, the specialist is more cautious. “It’s a common air pollution event”he insists. He calls on the public to “follow the advice” authorities in the event of a pollution alert.