Research published in November by the University of Oregon noted that serpentine rocks rich in Chromium-3- a vital micronutrient- can become a toxic heavy metal when exposed to the extreme heat produced during a wildfire, and this toxin could eventually make its way into groundwater.
Research On Oregon Wildfires Shows How Extreme Heat Can Turn Chromium Into A Toxic Contaminant
Chelsea Obeidy, a soil scientist now at California State Polytechnic University, led the study as a doctoral student in the lab of professor Matthew Polizzotto, an earth scientist and environmental chemist at the UO…