Fort McMurray wildfire will leave toxic legacy: experts
Posted May 9, 2016 10:25 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
EDMONTON – Wildfire experts say dangers from the Fort McMurray fire won’t end when the flames stop.
Officials from California, where wildfires burn residential areas every summer, say ash left behind in a city is considerably more dangerous than ash from a burned forest.
Materials such as vinyl siding or nylon carpets tend to burn completely in the furnace-like temperatures of a blaze.
But heavy metals such as arsenic, chromium and lead are all left behind at levels that often exceed guidelines.
And residual ash, mixed with water, is almost as caustic as oven cleaner.
The California experts strongly advise that people returning to a burned-out site wear long clothes, gloves, masks and eye protection.
