contaminant

Decked in white lab coats and masks to protect themselves from mould and other contaminants, a group of students at a laboratory at Valencia's Polytechnic University carefully clean and restore photos.

The heavy metal is 500 times more carcinogenic than diesel exhaust and poses the second-highest cancer risk of all toxic air contaminants tracked by the state, according to the California Air Resources Board.

Last year, FAA investigators formally acknowledged the toxicity of bleed air contaminants in an internal report into two Southwest Airlines flights that collided with large birds in 2023.

“There’s a way to protect us from the contaminants … but with the raids, we have seen that there’s not much that we can actually do.”

Turning wood waste into gas also generates a thick, black tar composed of volatile organic compounds — which are also common contaminants following wildfires.