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Known carcinogen is showing up in wildfire ash, researchers are worried (2023)
The high heat of California wildfires transformed a benign metal into a toxic form, new research finds. Exposure to high levels of hexavalent chromium is linked to increased rates of lung cancer.
According to a study released in Nature Communications last week, researchers discovered dangerous levels of hexavalent chromium in samples of ash left behind by the Kincade and Hennessey fires in 2019 and 2020. People in fire-prone areas are experiencing more blazes, but wildfire smoke is also floating hundreds or even thousands of miles away, affecting populations far from the flames. Hexavalent chromium is also known as the "Erin Brockovich chemical," named for the consumer advocate whose legal battle to help a small California town affected by the compound was immortalized in a now famous film starring Julia Roberts.
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