The deadly Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, has left behind more than just charred remains. Experts warn that the ash generated by the fire contains potentially toxic chemicals, posing significant health risks to survivors who attempt to sift through the debris.
Toni Boucher threw up the first time she saw the charred remains of her home and neighborhood after this month’s deadly Eaton Fire . Now she wonders if it’s worth it to go back to sift through the ashes and try to find her grandmother’s wedding ring. \“They talk about asbestos and they’re talking about lead and they’re talking about all of the things that have burned in the loss of the homes and the danger of that,” Boucher said.
Experts warn that the blazes unleashed complex chemical reactions on paint, furniture, building materials, cars, electronics and other belongings, turning ordinary objects into potentially toxic ash that requires protective gear to handle safely. The ash could include harmful lead, asbestos or arsenic, as well as newer synthetic materials. \“Ash is not just ash. Go back to the garage or what’s in your home. What is your furniture made out of? What are your appliances made out of? What is your house made out of?” asked Scott McLean, a former deputy chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's communications bureau. “A lot of it’s petroleum product and different composites that are extreme hazards due to fire when they combust.'Even safe chemicals commonly found in household materials — such as titanium dioxide in paint or copper in pipes — can form compounds that are more reactive after a fire, said Mohammed Baalousha, a professor of environmental health sciences at University of South Carolina, who studies ash samples to better understand what materials are present and how they change in the wake of wildfires. Scientists are still trying to understand exactly what those chemical changes do to human health, not just in California but Maui residents were kept out of contaminated areas for nearly two months, but they still worry about long-term health impacts. In California, officials aren't letting residents return to many locations, likely for at least a week, while they restore utilities, conduct safety operations and search for people, according to Los Angeles County's recovery website. Some chemicals are linked to cardiovascular disease and reduced lung function. Other adverse health effects might arise from inhaling more mobile and toxic forms of arsenic, chromium and benzen
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