Potentially Harmful Chemicals Found in Forest Fire Smoke
Pacific Northwest National LaboratorySmoldering ponderosa pine fires contain alkaloids.
Smoldering ponderosa pine fires contain alkaloids.
A study of coarse and fine particulate matter (PM) generated by the California wildfires of 2008 suggests a toxicity level greater than that of an equivalent dose of PM in ambient air, as reported in the January 2009 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives. The study adds to growing literature supporting source and component specific differences in toxicity of pollutant particles of a given size, and challenges regulators to consider toxicity as well as mass or size when regulating particle pollution.
A new study reports that charcoal particles left by wildfires in sediments of 35 North American lake beds don't readily support the theory that comets exploding over the continent 12,900 years ago sparked a cooling period known as the Younger Dryas. However, researchers did find clear links between abrupt climate changes and fire activity during the transition between the last Ice Age and the warm interglacial period that began 11,700 years ago.
Wildfires can boost ozone pollution to levels that violate U.S. health standards. A new study by NCAR scientists found that California wildfires in 2007 tripled the number of ozone violations across a broad area.
When confronted with emergencies or natural disasters, such as the wildfires that raged through San Diego and Los Angeles counties last October or the tornadoes that hit the southern U.S. last week, residents often dial 9-1-1 as their first course of action.
A Virginia Tech psychologist said research shows that some individuals who experience a residential or wildfire do develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and distress.
Some of those fighting rampaging California wildfires in late October didn't wield shovels or hoses -- they worked with high-tech tools developed at the University of California, San Diego.
Large-scale fires in a western or southeastern state can pump as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in a few weeks as the state's entire motor vehicle traffic does in a year, according to newly published research by scientists at NCAR and the University of Colorado.
UCSD Medical Center has on-call experts to answer questions about fire-related injuries as well as disaster response from both the medical and regional perspectives.
FEMA's performance in the California wildfires appears to have improved since Katrina, reflecting more professional leadership, but it still falls short on prevention efforts, says a University of Maryland expert. Scott Fosler, a visiting professor and senior fellow at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, played a major role in the overhaul of FEMA in the 1990s.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the California Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons advise residents of Southern California who have been exposed to smoke from wildfires to be aware of the potential hazards to their eyes. Exposure to smoke can cause irritation, with symptoms such as burning sensations, redness, and tearing.
Student, faculty and staff are returning to Alliant International University's Scripps Ranch Campus, each with their own story of survival to tell.
Evacuated students and staff (from Qulacomm Stadium, houses and hotels) now return to Alliant's Scripps Ranch Campus, amidst ash and leaves; share stories - both of survival and loss - deal with trauma-related stress and prepare for Monday classes.
While swaths of California burn, rescue efforts are rightly focused on putting out the flames. But when the flames are finally brought under control, Californians will face another serious problem: damage to lungs from intense exposure to smoke can cause serious long-term health problems.
One of the downsides of reorganizing FEMA and incorporating it into the U.S. Department of Homeland Security becomes quite apparent when a major natural disaster strikes such as the wildfires burning in Southern California, says University of Maryland international security expert, I Mac Destler.
Alliant International University, which has had three of its campuses closed due to fire, announced today that experts from its California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) are ready to assist journalists with pertinent information as to how natural disasters affect people and how they can help educate, inform and inspire those who have lost their homes, as well as potential victims of this wildfire phenomenon.