Study reveals pollutants in smoke-affected homes linger for weeks
Source: Scripps News
Posted 12:57 PM, Dec 26, 2024
Nearly three years after the devastating Marshall Fire destroyed over one thousand homes in Colorado, a research study conducted by a team from the University of Colorado Boulder seeks to answer some of the questions raised by the disaster.
In the days following the fire, concerns emerged among residents who still had homes standing about the impacts of smoke on their health and homes. These concerns prompted CU Boulder to assemble a team of engineers, chemists, geographers and other scientists to begin analyzing the data as soon as possible.
Joost de Goux, a CU Boulder chemistry professor and one of the main researchers, was helping set up measuring equipment inside of a Superior home within ten days of the fire. “What was unique about the Marshall fire is it happened right next to Boulder, Colorado,” noted de Goux. “We had all these scientists with all their equipment that could start making these measurements.”
The homes acted like sponges, soaking up smoke from the fire and slowly releasing it back inside. “We had expected that these things would be gone within hours from these homes, but in fact, it took days to weeks,” de Goux explained. “That was a surprise and something that we still don't quite understand.”
Read more: https://www.scrippsnews.com/health/study-reveals-pollutants-in-smoke-affected-homes-linger-for-weeks
Link to PUBLICATION - Volatile Organic Compounds Inside Homes Impacted by Smoke from the Marshall Fire
Link to related PUBLICATION - Physical Health Symptoms and Perceptions of Air Quality among Residents of Smoke-Damaged Homes from a Wildland Urban Interface Fire
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