Some wildfire suppressants in the U.S. contain levels of toxic metals up to 2,880 times the regulator limits set for drinking water, according to a recently published study. Further, researchers found that wildfire suppressants may have contributed to around 850,000 pounds of toxic metal pollution in the western U.S. from 2009 to 2021.
When toxic metal pollution shows up in the environment after wildfires, it has previously been estimated that the pollution could be linked to human activities like mining in nearby urban areas or from ash deposition.
The US federal government and chemical makers have long concealed the contents of pink wildfire suppressants – the substances are rife with cadmium, arsenic, chromium and other toxic heavy metals.
— Guardian US (@us.theguardian.com) February 13, 2025 at 3:14 PM
But two different sources led researchers from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Southern California to investigate potential toxic metals in wildfire suppressants. According to the study, the Washington Department of Ecology issued multiple citations to a USFS air tanker base in 2016 for exceeding the amount of metal concentrations allowed in waste discharge. The researchers also found an internal document for tanker bases from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that explained that a particular retardant contains ammonia, cadmium and chromium.
The study authors also credit LAist reporter Jacob Margolis, who had reached out to corresponding author Daniel McCurry back in 2019 to inquire about potential contamination by fire suppressants.
According to the authors, any wildfire suppressants, which include fire retardants, water enhancers and foams, have to be approved by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) before use. But the manufacturers can retain up to 20% of formulations as trade secrets or proprietary information, while products for public use do not need to disclose any percentage of their formulations.
In response to these findings and inquiries, the researchers purchased fire suppressant products and used mass spectrometry to quantify the amounts of vanadium, chromium, manganese, copper, arsenic, cadmium, antimony, barium, thallium and lead in the products and compared the amounts they found with data on suppressant application rates to calculate about how many heavy metals have been released by these products in the western U.S. over a 10-year timeframe.
In total, they found that at least eight heavy metals in the fires suppressants were at concentrations higher than the maximum level for drinking water set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The authors published their research in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters.
They also found that one particular product, Phos-Chek LC-95 W, had the greatest amounts of most of the heavy metals tested, although this specific product is not used by Cal Fire, LAist reported.
“I think what surprised me most was the array of metals we found,” lead author Marella Schammel said in a statement. “Some of them make sense as they’re used as corrosion inhibitors (chromium and cadmium) or are known contaminants in phosphate ores (arsenic, among others) used in the active ingredient of the retardant. But others, like vanadium — which there’s a ton of in Phos-Chek — were definitely unexpected.”
Based on their research, the authors estimated that from 2009 to 2021, about 380,000 kilograms or 1 million pounds of heavy metals had been dropped into the environment in the western U.S.
However, USFS and Cal Fire noted that they do work to avoid dropping any fire suppressants near waterways during wildfires to minimize environmental impact.
“We recognize that fire retardant is generally safe in the quantities that are applied to any given area. For sensitive areas like waterways and endangered species habitat, we restrict the use of fire retardant,” Linnea Edmeier, public information officer with Cal Fire, told LAist. “While Cal Fire prioritizes safety and environmental protection, we also recognize the critical role of fire retardants in firefighting.”
With the recent fires in Los Angeles, the authors raised concerns over the amounts of fire suppressant used in residential areas.
“Are the hazardous waste thresholds the appropriate bar for these to clear, or, if they’re being used in a massive scale in populated neighborhoods, do we need to get stricter on permissible concentrations of toxic compounds?” McCurry said, as reported by The Guardian.
McCurry also said that to fully differentiate between the potential sources of toxic metal contamination in the environment, studies would need to investigate the levels of contamination before and after a wildfire.
“As rates of aerial fire retardant application have grown, likely so too have loadings of toxic metals released into the environment from their use, a trend which may intensify if wildfire frequency and intensity continues to increase,” the authors concluded. “Further work should determine the environmental fate of metals released by aerial fire suppression (i.e., determine whether they remain in the soil column, permeate into groundwater, or enter nearby surface waters via runoff), and estimate the extent to which they contribute to human and ecological health risk.”
The post U.S. Wildfire Suppressants Revealed as Major Sources of Toxic Metal Pollution appeared first on EcoWatch.
https://www.ecowatch.com/wildfire-suppressants-toxic-metal-pollution.html
Thoreau wrote in Walden that “Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in,” which reminds us that life is short and nature fills it beautifully. What are you looking for that can’t be found during an afternoon in nature?
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day. Click the poster to get a larger image.
The post Earth911 Inspiration: Time Is but the Stream appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/inspire/earth911-inspiration-time-is-but-the-stream/
Green Living
Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action
Turn back the clock with this classic interview that will get you ready for Spring yard care planning. A lawn may be beautiful but it can take a heavy toll on the environment, accounting for between 30% and 60% of residential water use in the United States. Rob Moir, Ph.D., is president and executive director of the Ocean River Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ORI works with residential lawn owners to heal damaged ecosystems by restoring coastal areas to lessen the destructive impacts of climate change. The benefits of a natural lawn reach far beyond reduced local water pollution, eliminating chemicals that can contribute to cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and other cellular diseases. Natural lawns are also better for local pollinators and store much more carbon than heavily fertilized lawns. If you considered removing your lawn to play a part in the battle against climate change, this interview may change your mind — a healthy lawn is a powerful carbon sink.
The Ocean River Institute is recruiting Massachusetts communities, town by town, to take a pledge to follow natural lawn practices in the Healthy Soils for Climate Restoration Challenge. You don’t need to live in Massachusetts to participate and learn about the alternatives to the traditional, chemical-intensive lawn practices that use Roundup, a source of glyphosates that kills soil-dwelling fungi and local pollinators, and fast-acting nitrogen fertilizers. You can learn more about the Ocean River Institute at www.oceanriver.org.
Rob has contributed many articles about climate change and the history of environmental change since this interview, including:
- Finding a Northwest Passage to the Sea
- Turning the Tide—How Land and Water Shape Our Climate Future
- Learning from Captain Scoresby’s Ten-gallon Fir-Cask
- Earth Savvy?
- Let the Ground Keep Falling Rainwater
- The Sultans of Swag Versus Looking at Clouds from Both Sides Now
- Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
- Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTube
Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on May 30, 2022.
The post Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/earth911-podcast-the-ocean-river-institutes-natural-lawn-challenge-for-climate-action/
Choosing your perfect gown can be one of the most exciting decisions for your special day, but for the eco fashionista, it can be a challenge to find a dress that fits your values and style — but these brands have exceptional sustainable wedding dresses you’ll swoon over!
Using earth-minded materials like hemp, cruelty-free peace silk, deadstock recycled fabrics and vintage lace, and producing consciously, either in small batches or handcrafting each individual piece made-to-order, the brands below meet high standards for transparency, ecological sustainability, and fair labor.
[For more sustainable wedding dresses, check out this guide to secondhand wedding dress sites!]
Note that the guide contains affiliate links. As always, we only feature brands that meet strict criteria for sustainability we love, that we think you’ll love too!
1. Christy Dawn
Dreamy dress brand Christy Dawn does not disappoint with their romantic bridal collection! Each piece is more swoon-worthy than the next.
Their three sustainable bridal gowns are made from regenerative silk charmeuse —sourced through BOMBYX, an innovative silk producer using best practices — and colored in a beautiful pearl silk with non-toxic dyes. Each dress is ethically cut and sewn by makers in Los Angeles earning living wages, as with the rest of Christy Dawn’s collections.
The Britta Dress and Fitzgerald Dress are 1920s inspired while the Athena Dress is a more modern (but equally romantic) option. All of these dresses are made-to-order with an estimated timeline of 4 weeks.
Conscious Qualities: Regenerative silk and organic non-toxic dyes, ethically made-to-order in Los Angeles
Price Range: $2,500 – $3,000
Size Range: XS – XL
2. Pure Magnolia
Blending the traditional with the modern, Pure Magnolia designs classic-inspired sustainable wedding dresses with contemporary touches. And each dress is made in their Canadian studio by seamstresses earning fair wages from eco-fabrics, such as organic cotton and hemp silk.
The brand sources recycled fabrics whenever possible as well, and recycles their scrap fabric through FABCYCLE.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, locally and fairly made, recycles scrap fabrics
Price Range: $845 – $3,300 CAD
Size Range: 0 – 28
3. Lost in Paris
Lost in Paris crafts each of their creatively designed bohemian-inspired gowns ethically in their Sydney, Australia studio. Unconventional yet undeniably striking, Lost in Paris’ dresses are made from vintage lace and cotton.
Investing in a dress from Lost in Paris is seamless — the brand offers at-home sample try-ons, offers train and sleeve adjustments on several styles, ships their dresses worldwide for free, and even accepts returns. Oh, and, if one of their ready-made sizes doesn’t work for you, you can get a dress designed to your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses vintage lace, locally made
Price Range: $950 – $3900 AUD
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing options
For More Slow Fashion Content:
4. Wear Your Love
Wear Your Love creates feminine, effortless dresses in their Northern California studio that are — in contrast to the majority of wedding dresses on the market — actually comfortable! The brand’s free-spirited designs are made with soft, earth-minded fabrics like organic cotton and each dress is made to order for each bride to their exact measurements.
There are also customizations available for each eco-friendly wedding dress such as train or no train, skirt or sleeve linings, back coverage, skirt style, and more.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model, locally and transparently made
Price Range: $680 – $1,700
Size Range: N/A; dresses are made to your measurements
5. Larimeloom
Based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Larimeloom crafts exceptional custom-made dresses by hand in their atelier. The brand creates comfortable minimalist dresses from durable natural fabrics and colors them with natural or non-toxic dyes.
Larimeloom has also implemented zero waste design techniques, cutting their patterns strategically in order to minimize fabric waste.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, zero-waste designs, natural fabrics and dyes
Price Range: 650€ – 2,650€
Size Range: XS – XL
6. Sister Organics
Sourcing quality earth-friendly natural fabrics like organic hemp and cotton, Sister Organics creates classic, eco-friendly wedding dresses for UK-based brides.
Each dress is made to order in England, so you can select a pre-defined size, customize the length of a size, or get an entirely different dress made for your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model
Price Range: £125 – £390
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing
7. Indiebride London
Indiebride’s vintage-inspired sustainable wedding dresses are delicate and romantic yet free-spirited, offering a unique collection for the bride that wants to skip the conventional wedding gown and choose a piece that fits their individual style.
The brand’s conscious wedding dresses are handmade in London using majority natural fibers and can be altered or customized to your specifications.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses many natural fabrics, locally made
Price Range: £1,200 – £1,700
Size Range: 8 – 16 (UK sizes)
More Resources For Your Eco Wedding:
10 Secondhand Wedding Dress Sites for the Eco Bride
7 Ethical Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement and Wedding Rings
17 Brands with Conscious Dresses (great options for bridesmaid dresses in here!)
The post 7 Best Sustainable Wedding Dresses for Your Special Day appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
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