The climate in the fire zone in California has become dangerous to health

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Dr. Karen Relucio, director of public health at Napa County, warns residents of burned areas of the deadly danger that lies in the ashes and burned debris.

“Think about all the hazardous materials in your home,” she said in an interview. “Your chemicals, pesticides, propane, gasoline, plastic and paint all burn to ash. Everything is concentrated in the ash, and it’s toxic.”

California fires killed at least 41 people, burned down about 5700 structures and more 213 000 acres after the fire went out of control on October 8 and 9.

Thousands of firefighters are still struggling with fires, and tens of thousands of people are in mandatory evacuation.

But even when the smell of smoke still sweeps through this area north of San Francisco, public health officials and environmentalists are thinking about the next catastrophe - a huge amount of debris and dangerous ash.

The surroundings are under a thick layer of ash, which in color resembles snow cover. The wind can lift it into the air, and the rain can wash it off into streams or nearby objects that have not been destroyed by fire.

Cleaning from ashes and debris will take time, which we do not have. According to Dr. Lockwood, the consequences of fire will affect both the environment and human health.

Household building materials, for example, may contain copper, chromium and arsenic. Consumer electronics contains metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium. In old homes may be asbestos tiles. Even galvanized nails can cause problems, because when they melt, they can produce zinc. All this is potentially dangerous.

"It's a completely complex mixed bag of different substances," said Jeffrey Plumley, deputy director for environmental health with the USGS.

Dr. Plumli conducted a study after several fires in Southern California in the 2007 year that found that ash from scorched residential areas contained elevated levels of arsenic and metals, including lead, copper and chromium. In most cases, the levels were above federal standards. Environmental Protection Agency for soil restoration.

Local and state agencies have not yet figured out who will assume leadership roles.

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Mark Oldfield, a representative from the California Department of Recycling and Restoration, who manages recycling and recycling programs, says cleaning involves sorting with the most dangerous materials, usually the California Toxic Substances Control Department. This agency will evaluate and remove dangerous garbage.

After that, the contractors under the auspices CalRecycle can focus on removing waste for recycling (metals and concrete) or landfills (ash and polluted soil), Oldfield said.

Dr. Reluzio said that at the same time, people who return to their homes should protect their eyes, lungs and skin, wear long sleeves and pants, shoes, glasses and a good N95 mask available at most hardware stores.

“No one ever knows what people hid in their houses,” he said.

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