Firefighters are risking not just their lives but also their health to beat back the unprecedented blazes engulfing the Los Angeles region — in yet another example of the spreading havoc from climate change. Urban wildfires release a host of chemicals into the air — from copper to lead — and protective gear falls woefully short, writes Ariel Wittenberg. The situation underscores just how unprepared cities are for the changing nature of wildfires as humans continue to encroach on nature and as a warming planet dries out vegetation, turning it into dangerous kindling. “All these chemicals we don’t think of occurring in a wildland fire are now part of the smoke,” said Mary Johnson, principal research assistant at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “The list is really long, and it’s really not good.” Cancer is the No. 1 cause of death among firefighters. In 2022, the World Health Organization categorized firefighting itself as “carcinogenic to humans” due to the sheer volume of chemicals workers come into contact with on the job. And despite recent attempts to shield firefighters from inhaling smoke filled with toxic chemicals, the crews working to contain LA’s firestorm lack adequate respiratory protection. Wildfires are increasingly urban. From 2004 to 2014, about 7,180 California structures were destroyed by wildfires, according to state data. The last decade has seen a dramatic increase to 54,700 structures — a huge chunk of which were engulfed in the devastating Camp Fire of 2018. At least 12,000 homes, businesses and other structures have so far been destroyed in LA. A study of firefighters who fought the Camp Fire found that their blood carried higher-than-usual concentrations of toxic chemicals, such as the carcinogenic flame retardants commonly found in plastics, electronics, foam and furniture. The federal government has since made funding available to develop respirators for firefighting. There is one promising prototype under development: a hip-mounted air purifying respirator. The device — which uses a fan to blow air over layers of HEPA filters to remove toxic chemicals — has the potential to be a lightweight, portable and long-lasting option. But it’s still at least two years away from being mass-produced. Until then, firefighters are left with masks with oxygen tanks that last only 45 minutes and can weigh 40 pounds — an ill-suited solution for firefighters working 10 to 24 hours at a time. Drew Galloway, the engineer who developed the hip-mounted prototype, told Ariel he met the parents of one firefighter who had to retire after damaging his lungs battling the Camp Fire. “It’s almost like instantaneous black lung,” Galloway said. “That’s the biggest threat to wildland firefighters. … You have got to keep these carcinogenic particles out of their system.”
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