Carcinogenic chemicals contaminate water after California wildfire

PARADISE, Calif. – The drinking water of Paradise, California, where 85 people died last year in the country's wildest fire, is contaminated with benzene, a cancer-causing chemical, reported managers.

Officials said they believed the contamination had occurred after November's fire storm created a combination of poison gas in burning homes that had been sucked into the water pipes as residents and firefighters aspired. a lot of water, reported Thursday the newspaper Sacramento Bee.

Officials say it could explain why benzene, which has been linked to anemia and leukemia, has been found in tests done at various locations rather than just one source in Paradise, which has been largely destroyed.

The chemical occurs naturally in the fire; is part of crude oil, gasoline and cigarette smoke; and is used to make plastics, synthetic fibers and other products, according to the Federal Government's Centers for Disease Control.

Molten plastic meters and plastic pipes may also have sent benzene into the system, water officials said.

Officials from the Paradise Irrigation District reported that they had collected about 500 water samples in the city and that they had found benzene 30% of the time.

"It's mind blowing," said Dan Newton of the state's water resources control board. "It is a huge size – none of us have been prepared for that."

Those who have evaluated the problem say that the water district may be able to clean the pipes to some homes later this year, but it will take two years and more than $ 300 million for all hill dwellers to drink. , cook or bathe in the water safely.

About 1,500 of the city's 27,000 inhabitants live in the few surviving houses. The water managers advised them not to drink, cook, wash or brush their teeth with tap water and only take quick showers with hot water. These residents live with bottled water, deliver daily and deliver water tanks.

Norman Stein, 84, goes to the water distribution center for 15 minutes each week, loads his trunk with bottles and stacks them in his garage.

He and his wife, Darlene, disagree about the risk of their tap water in heaven. She opened the sink faucet to show how clear the water was.

"I could already smell an oily substance, but everything is clear now," she said. "It's good water."

"Only there is benzene in it," her husband replied. "I will not even brush my teeth with that."

Stein is thinking of buying a purification system, which some of his friends did. But water officials say they do not know how much household filters protect residents if there is benzene in their faucets.

Water experts said that what happened in paradise had only been detected once before, during a deadly fire in Santa Rosa last year. . They say California needs to work to make water safe in heaven and learn what could protect drinking water in future wildfires.

"This is really just the beginning here," said Jackson Webster, professor and environmental engineer at Chico State University, specializing in the effects of forest fires on water quality. "The fires in Santa Rosa surprised people, now it's happened twice, the bells are ringing."