While wood ash contains some nutrients required by plants for healthy growth, ash is harmful for our lakes, ponds and rivers. Uncontrolled wildfires can be dangerous for both those responsible for or immediately impacted by the fire, as well as emergency responders, who are forced to engage in high-risk suppression efforts that may compromise their health and safety.Īny fire will create ash waste. If a fire escapes your control, never try to suppress the fire yourself. However, the majority of fatalities are indirectly related to the fire (e.g., cardiac arrest due to excessive smoke inhalation, or from the physical or emotional trauma of trying to extinguish the fire). It is possible to sustain serious burn injuries, and in some cases even die, when attempting to suppress an escaped fire.
The unfortunate reality is that some fires can threaten or take lives. Tree mortality, invasive plants, erosion and road instability are just some of the dangers landowners face after a wildfire. The environmental impacts are often not over after the flames are put out. Wildfire damage can be visually disturbing and physically disruptive. Unplanned fires pose a serious threat to public safety, property and our natural resources.Įxperiencing a wildfire on your property can be devastating. Wildfire Environmental impacts of wildfireĭebris burning is the number one cause of wildfires in Wisconsin and accounts for thousands of acres of forested land unintentionally burned, and hundreds of structures threatened every year. If agricultural bags or containers are contaminated with pesticides or other harmful substances, those will also be released into the air. Other chemicals released while burning plastic include benzo(a)pyrene (BAP) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which have both been shown to cause cancer. Burning plastic and treated wood also releases heavy metals and toxic chemicals, such as dioxin. The toxic chemicals released during burning include nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and polycyclic organic matter (POMs). Impacts of Smoke from Burning Trash and Plasticīurning trash can cause long-term health problems. Other health problems aggravated by burning include lung infections, pneumonia, bronchiolitis and allergies. People with heart disease, asthma, emphysema or other respiratory diseases are especially sensitive to air pollutants. People exposed to these air pollutants can experience eye and nose irritation, difficulty breathing, coughing and headaches. Air pollution from smoke can impact human health. When household waste, like wood and leaves, are burned, they produce smoke, which contains vapors and particulate matter (solid and liquid droplets suspended in the air). Health impacts of smoke Impacts of Smoke from Burning Clean Wood and Leaves Larger pieces of plastic can become a breeding ground for diseases, such as by trapping water that provides habitat for mosquitoes. As it disintegrates, animals may eat the plastic and get sick. Unburned portions of the plastic become litter on the ground and in lakes and rivers. Even if certain types of plastic (such as polyethylene or polypropylene) do not contain chlorine, other materials attached to or burned with the plastic may be a chlorine source. Dioxins tend to adhere to the waxy surface of leaves and enter the food chain in this way. Some of the most dangerous chemicals created and released during burning are those from burning plastics, such as dioxins, which are byproducts formed when chlorine-containing products are burned. The gases released by open burning can also corrode metal siding and damage paint on buildings. Both odors and smoke residue can enter houses or can impact anything outside of houses, like cars or hanging laundry.
Smoke and soot can travel long distances.
In addition, certain chemicals released by burning can accumulate in the fats of animals and then in humans as we consume meat, fish and dairy products. Residue from burning contaminates the soil and groundwater and can enter the human food chain through crops and livestock. Polluted air can be inhaled by humans and animals, and deposited in the soil and surface water and on plants. Burning prohibited materials, such as garbage, plastic and painted or treated wood, is harmful to the environment because these materials release toxic chemicals that pollute our air.
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