Three years ago, on December 30, 2021, A Wind-driven forest fires I ran through two communities outside of Boulder, Colorado, and in about eight hours, More than 1000 homes Companies were burned.
The fire left entire masses of ash, but among them, Pockets of homes survivedapparently untouched. The homeowners may have been relieved at first. But fire damage can be deceiving, as many soon discovered.
When wildfires like the Marshall Fire reach… Urban wilderness interfaceThey burn both plants and man-made materials. Vehicles and buildings burn, along with all the stuff inside them — electronics, paint, plastics, and furniture.
Research shows that when man-made materials like these burn, The chemicals released are different Which is only emitted when plants burn. Smoke and ash can blow under doors and around windows in neighboring homes, introducing chemicals that stick to walls and other interior surfaces and continue to off-gas for weeks to months, especially in warmer temperatures.
In a New studyMy colleagues and I studied the health effects people experienced when they returned to their still-standing homes after the Marshall Fire. We also created A checklist for people to use after urban wildfires In the future to help them protect their health and reduce the risks they are exposed to when they return to smoke-damaged homes.
Tests conducted at homes found elevated metals and volatile organic compounds
In the days after the Marshall Fire, residents quickly reached out to nearby scientists studying wildfire smoke and health risks at the University of Colorado Boulder and area laboratories. People wanted to know what was in the ashes Which causes unpleasant odors to remain inside their homes.
My colleagues found that we were able to do testing at home Elevated levels of minerals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ash. We also found higher levels of VOCs — volatile organic compounds — in airborne samples. Some volatile organic compounds, e.g Dioxins, benzene, Formaldehyde and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonscan be toxic to humans. Gasoline is Known carcinogen.
People wanted to know if the chemicals that entered their homes that day could harm their health.
At that time, we could not find any information about the physical health effects of people who returned to smoke-damaged homes after wildfires. To look for patterns, we Population surveyed It was affected by the fire after six months, one year and two years.
Symptoms 6 months after the fire
Even six months after the fire, we found it Many people were reporting symptoms Which is consistent with the health risks related to smoke and ash resulting from fires.
More than half of the people (55%) who responded to our survey reported that they experienced at least one symptom six months after the fire that they attributed to the Marshall Fire. The most common symptoms reported were itchy or watery eyes (33%), headache (30%), dry cough (27%), sneezing (26%), and sore throat (23%).
All of these symptoms, plus a strange taste in the mouth, have been associated with people reporting that their home smelled different when they returned to it a week after the fire.
Many survey respondents said the odors decreased over time. Most attributed the improved smell to the passage of time, cleaning surfaces and air ducts, replacing furnace filters, and removing carpets, textiles and furniture from the home. Despite this, many of them still suffer from symptoms.
We found that living near a large number of burning buildings was associated with these health symptoms. For every 10 additional destroyed buildings within 820 feet (250 m) of a person’s home, there was a 21% increase in headaches and a 26% increase in having a strange taste in their mouth.
These symptoms are consistent with what would be expected from exposure to the chemicals we found in the ash and measured in the air inside the ash. Smoke-damaged homes that we were able to study In depth.
Symptoms and lingering questions
There are still many unanswered questions about the health risks from homes damaged by smoke and ash.
For example, we don’t yet know what the long-term health effects might be for people living with trapped gases from wildfire smoke and ash in the home.
We found great importance Decrease in the number of people Report symptoms one year after the fire. However, 33% of people whose homes were affected still reported at least one symptom that they attributed to the fire. About the same proportion also reported at least one symptom two years after the fire.
We also could not measure the level of VOCs or metals to which each person was exposed. But we believe that reports of a person’s home smell changing one week after the fire indicate that VOCs may be present in the home. This has health implications for people whose homes are exposed to smoke or ash from wildfires.
Tips to protect yourself after future wildfires
Forest fires are Houses and other buildings are increasingly burning like More people are moving in urban wilderness interface, Temperatures rise The seasons of fire are prolonged.
It can be confusing to know what to do if your home has survived a nearby wildfire. To help, my colleagues and I have put together a Location of the steps to be taken If your home has been penetrated by smoke or ash from a wildfire.
Here are some of these steps:
When you’re ready to clean your house, start by protecting yourself. Wear at least a mask, N95 (or KN95) gloves, goggles, and clothing that covers your skin.
Vacuum floors, curtains and furniture. But avoid harsh chemical cleaners because they can react with the chemicals in the ash.
Clean the HVAC filter and its ducts to avoid spreading the ash further. Portable air cleaners with carbon filters can help remove VOCs.
A recent scientific study How-to documentation Clean all surfaces Indoors, tanks can reduce VOCs and reduce VOC concentrations in indoor air.
Since we don’t know much yet about the health damage to homes affected by smoke and ash, it’s important to pay attention to how you clean up so you can do your best to protect your health.
Colin E. Reed He is an associate professor of geography at University of Colorado Boulder.
This article was republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons license. Read Original article.
