Επισυνάπτεται σύνδεσμος που αφορά καταχώρηση στην έγκριτη εφημερίδα The Hill (Washington DC), κατόπιν αιτήματος της δημοσιογράφου Sharon Udasin προς τον διδάσκοντα στο ΠΜΣ-ΕΠΤΕΠΠ Δρ Δημήτριο Αλεξάκη, Καθηγητή Πανεπιστημίου Δυτικής Αττικής και Διευθυντή Εργαστηρίου “Γεωπεριβαλλοντικής Επιστήμης και Διασφάλισης Ποιότητας Περιβάλλοντος” για το ζήτημα της διασποράς στο περιβάλλον τοξικών ρύπων μετά από δασικές πυρκαγιές.
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Wildfires in parts of the U.S. West may be transforming a benign form of chromium into its cancer-causing counterpart — potentially endangering first responders and surrounding communities, a new s…
thehill.com
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Το απόσπασμα που αναφέρεται στον κ. Δ. Αλεξάκη έχει ως εξής:
Dimitrios Alexakis, a professor of geology and geochemistry at Greece’s University of West Attica, likewise described “a broad global threat of dust-born metal and wildfire smoke to humans,” stemming from the mix of these blazes and chromium-rich soils.
“This study demonstrates an underrecognized health threat to humans associated with the geology and fire severity,” he told The Hill in an email.
Alexakis, who was also not involved in this research, has studied both the dispersion of toxins from burned vegetation and the impacts of fire-fueled land contamination on human health.
The Stanford study, he observed, could help offer “fresh perspectives on the reasons behind the heightened health risks associated with exposure to wildfire smoke compared to pollution from other sources.”
Understanding how environmental factors contribute to the creation of chromium-6 through fire could also help scientists devise predictive tools to mitigate exposure risk and guide policymaking, according to Alexakis.