Potentially Toxic Substances and Associated Risks in Soils Affected by Wildfires: A Review

• Published in: Toxics (Basel) Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 31
• Main Author: Fernandez-Marcos, Maria Luisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 11.01.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Aquatic organisms; Ash; Biological properties; Carbon; Charcoal; Contamination; fire; Forest soils; Germination; Hazardous materials; Heavy metals; Laboratories; Organic soils; Organisms; PAH; Phytotoxicity; Pollutants; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Review; Reviews; Seed germination; Seedlings; Seeds; Soil contamination; Soil degradation; Soil erosion; Soil mixtures; Soil pollution; Soil properties; Soil quality; Soil water; Soils; Speciation; Toxic substances; Toxicity; Trace elements; Vegetation; Wildfires; Israel; trace elements; heavy metals; soil ecotoxicity; soil quality; PAH; pyrogenic organic matter; ash; soil pollution; fire; charcoal; pyrogenic compounds
• ISSN: 2305-6304; 2305-6304
• DOI: 10.3390/toxics10010031

The presence of toxic substances is one of the major causes of degradation of soil quality. Wildfires, besides affecting various chemical, physical, and biological soil properties, produce a mixture of potentially toxic substances which can reach the soil and water bodies and cause harm to these media. This review intends to summarise the current knowledge on the generation by wildfires of potentially toxic substances, their effects on soil organisms, and other associated risks, addressing the effects of fire on metal mobilisation, the pyrolytic production of potentially toxic compounds, and the detoxifying effect of charcoal. Numerous studies ascertained inhibitory effects of ash on seed germination and seedling growth as well as its toxicity to soil and aquatic organisms. Abundant publications addressed the mobilisation of heavy metals and trace elements by fire, including analyses of total concentrations, speciation, availability, and risk of exportation to water bodies. Many publications studied the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and other organic pollutants in soils after fire, their composition, decline over time, the risk of contamination of surface and ground waters, and their toxicity to plants, soil, and water organisms. Finally, the review addresses the possible detoxifying role of charcoal in soils affected by fire.