At the height of the Los Angeles County wildfires, atmospheric concentrations of the neurotoxin lead were 100% below average levels even miles away from the blaze, according to early detailed measurements obtained by The New York Times. It had doubled. Levels of chlorine, which is toxic even at low concentrations, were 40 times higher than average.
The spike in levels highlights the growing danger from wildfires when cars, homes and other structures catch on fire, researchers said. Paint and pipes used in older homes are high in lead, and when plastic melts or burns, it produces chlorine and other chemicals.
These fires were a “wake-up call”, said Dr Haroula Bariaca. candidate in atmospheric chemistry at the California Institute of Technology and is part of a new nationwide effort to monitor chemicals in the air in real time. They are no longer “just about burning wood and grass,” she says. “They are urban wildfires, caused by the very materials that make up our homes and cities.”
Climate change and new development may combine to increase the likelihood of wildfires in the world's most populated areas, raising concerns about toxic releases.
For Los Angeles, the toxic smoke means a potentially higher ultimate death toll and long-term health burden from the fires. Breathing lead can damage the brain and nervous system, especially in children. Lead levels found in the air at the time of the fire were more than three times the safe limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Chlorine can damage your lungs and airways.
Overall, high levels of particulate pollution in wildfire smoke are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and death.
The latest measurements come from a new federally funded national monitoring network called ASCENT, launched last year to measure a wide range of air pollutants in real time. Readings for the Los Angeles area fire were captured at the network's monitoring station in Pico Rivera, several miles from the fire scene.
Nga Lee Ng, an atmospheric scientist at Georgia Tech and the network's principal investigator who also uses her real name Sally, said wildfires are becoming a bigger focus for scientists who study air pollution. Ta. Because many of these fires are urban in nature, the smoke “will have a very different composition, more toxic particles,” Professor Ng said.
