posted
From the wiki article describing Aeial firefighting, apparently written by an Austrailian (so it might be different in the US):
"Borate salts were used in the past to fight wildfires but were found to sterilize the soil and were toxic to animals. Newer retardants use ammonium sulfate or ammonium polyphosphate with attapulgite clay thickener or diammonium phosphate with a guar gum derivative thickener. These are not only less toxic but act as fertilizers to help the regrowth of plants after the fire (however, the retardants can be toxic to fish if accidentally dropped in water and then exposed to sunlight). Fire retardants contain wetting agents, preservatives and rust inhibitors and are colored red with ferric oxide to mark where they have been dropped. Brand names of fire retardants for aerial application are Fire-Trol and Phos-Chek."
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quote:the retardants can be toxic to fish if accidentally dropped in water and then exposed to sunlight
I wonder how many studies have been done on how often this actually finds it's way into the food supply. Chemicals like that can leech into the groundwater, be transferred to rivers and lakes through runoff, or grown into plants, eaten by other animals and then transferred either to water sources or into our food supply directly.
It happens with great frequency now in America with a great many other chemicals, though it's nowhere near as bad here as it is in China. But I wonder if any studies or tests have been done years after fires.
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