5% CONTAINED AT 2,000 ACRES AND
MANDATORY EVACUATIONS IN
EFFECT.
UC DAVIS TALKING FOR A
LARGE SCALE STUDY ON HOW SMOKE
USED IN WILDFIRES IMPACT THE
HEALTH.
THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT MAKES
THE SMOKE TO TOXIC.
LEMOR ABRAMS IS AT THE
CENTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
WITH THEIR FINDINGS.
RESEARCHERS KNOW WILDFIRE
SMOKE CAN BE BAD FOR OUR HEALTH
AND THE COMBINATION OF SOME
CHEMICALS GENERATED FROM
WILDFIRES CAN IMPOSE NEW HEALTH
HAZARDS AND CAUSING FOR A LARGE-
SCALE STUDY TO KEEP COMMUNITIES
SAFE FROM WILDFIRES.
AS FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE NEW
WILDFIRES UP AND DOWN THE STATE
TONIGHT ...
THERE CAN BE A CHANGE IN
CONVERSION OF CHEMICALS.
RESEARCHERS AT THE UC DAVIS
CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENT AND
HEALTH ARE ZEROING IN, THE FIRE
SUPPRESSION CHEMICALS WITH
INSECTICIDES.
THERE IS THE CONCERN THAT
FIRE RETARDANTS CAN HAVE
CARCINOGENIC POTENTIAL.
BUT THIS DOCTOR SAYS CANCER
CAUSING CHEMICALS CAN LEAD TO
ADDITIONAL HEALTH PROBLEMS WHEN
THEY INTERACT OF WHAT HUMANS
ADD.
WHEN IT BURNS THERE IS NOR
EFFECTS.
THERE IS A BLAZE THAT RIPPED
THROUGH VINEYARDS.
WE BECAME CONCERNED WITH IF
WILDFIRES ARE BURNED WITH
CHEMICALS, HOW IS THE SMOKE
THAT WAS FILLING DAVIS AT THE
TIME, HOW IS THE SMOKE THAT WE
ARE BREATHING AFFECTING US.
THE AMOUNT OF FIRE RETARDANT
USED IN CALIFORNIA FROM 2012 TO
2015 INCREASED FROM ABOUT 3
MILLION GALLONS TO 7 MILLION
GALLONS.
AND THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF
PESTICIDES USED ON CALIFORNIA
LAND IN THAT SAME TIME FRAME
INCREASED FROM 186 MILLION
POUNDS TO 194 MILLION POUNDS.
THESE MATERIALS COULD BE
HELD EASILY BY THOSE IN THE
VICINITY.
THE TRENDS ARE TRAVELING AND
THE INFORMATION ON THEIR SHORT
AND LONG TERM HEALTH EFFECTS
ARE HAZY AS THE SMOKY
CALIFORNIA SKIES.
IT WOULD BE THE FIRST STUDY
ON THE HEALTH IMPACTS FROM
CHEMICALS AND WILDFIRES BUT SO
FAR THERE IS NO FUNDING SOURCE.
EARLIER THIS SUMMER A WILDFIRE
SMOKE STUDY OUT OF COLORADO
