Ontario researchers to study dust for carcinogens after Fort McMurray fire
TORONTO – A group of Ontario researchers is travelling to Fort McMurray, Alta., next month to study dust left in homes from the forest fire that ravaged the city last year.
The team’s work is among several studies that are being conducted on the health effects of the ferocious blaze that forced more than 80,000 people to flee.
Arthur Chan, an assistant professor of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto, said his team has received overwhelming interest from “concerned” homeowners in Fort McMurray who are offering up their places to be tested.
“We hope we don’t find anything,” Chan said. “But we’re looking for heavy metals and also some organic compounds that are potentially carcinogens. We’re going to assess those levels and compare to what we know are normal levels in a home in Canada.”