The toxic chemicals were discovered in the fire and smoke of the forest

Researchers have discovered plant toxins that affect human health and biological systems from forest fire and smoke. The results from a recent study suggest that smoldering fires can produce more toxins than natural flames - a reason for people to minimize the processing of flames.

Discovering these toxins known as calcite has helped researchers better understand the process they exist on earth and in the air. Smoke-related alkaloids in the environment can alter the marine and terrestrial ecosystems, as well as where clouds form. Studies of Ponderosa pine, made by scientists from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will be published on June 1 in the journal Science and Technology. environment.

'Popular Ponderosa pine in many places is a major cause of wildfires,' said PNNL physical chemist Julia Laskin, co-author of the study. 'This research has shown us which molecules have smoke and we can better understand the effects of smoke on the environment.' When trees and bushes burn, smoke creates tiny smoke particles emitting. These small molecules contain a lot of waste from plants. Researchers are suspicious of the occurrence of alkaloids in smoke and have discovered them in the air during the wildfire season, but no one has directly measured them from a single fire. PNNL researchers have developed technology to filter alkaloids from equivalent molecular masses.

To detect chemicals emitted from fire, the team took smoke from some experimental flames by Colorado State University scientists. These researchers are controlling the fire from pine, bushes and other substances at the Forest Protection Services Laboratory in Missoula, Mont.

Smoldering flames contain alkaloids (Photo: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory / DOE).

The researchers collected samples in different devices that retain tiny molecules. Using EMSL, DOE Environmental Laboratory tools on PNNL, then they determine the type of molecule. At EMSL, researchers used a new method to get detailed information about creating smoke.

The team discovered the diversity of molecules. When they compared their results with other studies, they found that 70% of these molecular blocks contained no smoke

'Researchers have expanded observations,' said chemist Alexander Laskin.

In addition, 10-30% of this alkaloid, these chemical molecules have been shown to exist at high temperatures. Plants will use alkaloids to protect them because they can harm plants and animals. Other, including people. Alkaloids are also chemically valuable (caffeine and nicotine are known as alkaloids not found in pine trees).

Most of the remaining alkaloids regulate nitrogen through water, soil and air. Because of this, the proposed results of smoke may be an important step in transporting this substance. Nitrogen alkaloids with a basic PH component produce less acid clouds, and in turn affect the formation of clouds, which is very important for agriculture and water supplies.

The researchers also found that excess alkaloids depend largely on forest fires. Smoldering fires produce more compounds than large fires that are fanned with the wind because some alkaloids can be harmful to humans.

In the future, researchers will develop methods to measure the alkaloids and related compounds in smoke to better understand chemical formation.

This study was funded by DOE through the Office of Energy Science Research, Office of Environmental and Biological Studies and Scientific Laboratory.