A recent study reveals that wildfires in the United States may be converting benign forms of chromium into cancer-causing hexavalent chromium, commonly known as the ‘Erin Brockovich’ chemical. The research, published in the British journal Nature Communications, sheds light on the hazardous nature of wildfire smoke and the potential health risks it poses to firefighters and first responders.
The study, led by Alandra Lopez, a postdoctoral scholar at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, emphasizes the need for increased attention to wildfire-modified chromium and other metals to better understand the overall threats wildfires pose to human health. Wildfires release various pollutants into the air, including gases, organic aerosols, and fine particulate matter, which can lead to asthma attacks, heart issues, and premature death.
Chromium, a common chemical found in soils across the western United States, Australia, Brazil, Europe, Indonesia, and South Africa, undergoes transformation during wildfires. The researchers identified elevated levels of hexavalent chromium, the carcinogenic counterpart of the benign chromium. The study suggests that as climate change contributes to more frequent and intense wildfires, understanding the health risks associated with airborne chromium becomes crucial.
Senior study author Scott Fendorf, the Terry Huffington Professor in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, highlights that heavy metals like chromium have been largely overlooked in the complex mixture of gases and particles emitted by wildfires. Hexavalent chromium, known as the ‘Erin Brockovich’ chemical, is a carcinogen that poses an increased cancer risk when inhaled or ingested through contaminated drinking water. The study underscores the importance of comprehensively characterizing the threats posed by wildfire smoke to human health, particularly as the frequency of wildfires intensifies due to global warming.
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