With a return to Fort McMurray homes close many who have been evacuated plan to come back as soon as possible, but caution is being advised. Some of the homes in the area may not look like they have sustained much damage but there could be hidden risks and dangers that residents are not aware of that must be considered as well. Products caused by the combustion and char that a wildfire involves could pose health hazards, yet these risks are typically invisible to the naked eye and are not obvious from the start.

According to retired occupational and environmental hygiene expert Dr. Robert Lockhart, who consulted on health problems caused by a fire in Kelowna which devastated 250 residences, “After people go back to their homes, some of them have the possibility of experiencing exposures to contaminants which have entered into the house. They had gone through a whole array of efforts over a five-year period. We were able to demonstrate the particulate deposits on basically any surface we looked at. That includes floors, walls, ceilings, furnishings, clothing, you name it, and demonstrated that the chemicals were emitting from the particulate.”

Some ways to mitigate the health hazards from wildfire damage caused to Fort McMurray homes is to clean everything thoroughly, throwing away items that can not be completely cleaned or which have sustained significant exposure to compounds from the fire. Microscopic particles from wildfires can emit volatile gases over time, and these gases can include formaldehyde, methanol, formic acid, acetaldehyde, methyl acetate, and acetic acid.