Acute Toxicity of Commercial Wildfire Retardants to Two Daphniid Species ( and ).

In the face of global climate change, there has been an increase in wildfires around the world, highlighting the need for improved firefighting techniques, such as the use of fire retardants (FRs). These products can enter aquatic systems directly or through runoff, posing potential risks to aquatic biota. In this study, the acute toxicity (24-h/48-h EC50) of three distinct FRs (N-Borate, N-Phosphate+, and N-Phosphate-) was assessed on the immobility of freshwater microcrustaceans and .

Short-Term Effects of Wildfire Ash on Water Quality Parameters: A Laboratory Approach.

Climate change coupled with inappropriate burning practices has increased large-scale wildfires in Brazilian tropical savannahs (Cerrado). Considering that the effects of ash from wildfires on water parameters are scarcely known in tropical savannahs, this study investigated the chemical changes caused by ash in the soft water, commonly used for bioassays. To this end, ash samples were collected immediately following a fire in a Cerrado area (Federal District, Brazil) and put into water (1:10 ash:soft-water m/v) to check physical parameters under laboratory conditions.

Effects of ashes from a Brazilian savanna wildfire on water, soil and biota: An ecotoxicological approach.

Wildfire is very common in Brazilian savannas, and its effects on water, soil and aquatic/soil organisms are poorly understood. In this study, we observed the effects of fire, especially of ashes, on surface soil and subsurface water in a typical Brazilian savanna (Cerrado sensu strictu) for one year. Soil analyses (pH, organic matter content, potential acidity, K, Ca, Mg and P) and subsurface water analyses (NO, PO Mg, Ca and K) were assessed.

Aquatic ecotoxicity of ashes from Brazilian savanna wildfires.

In a global scenario of climate change, several studies have predicted an increase in fires in different parts of the world. With the occurrence of rains following the fires in the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado biome), the compounds present in ashes may enter aquatic environments and cause adverse effects to these ecosystems. In this context, this study evaluated the potential toxicity of ashes from two areas of Cerrado and an area of pasture, through ecotoxicological bioassays and using three aquatic species from distinct trophic levels, which were exposed to different dilutions of ashes: the microcrustacean Ceriodaphnia dubia, the fish Danio rerio and the mollusc Biomphalaria glabrata.