Fire retardant

When heated, aluminium hydroxide dehydrates to form aluminum oxide (alumina, Al2O3, releasing water vapor in the process.

They endothermically decompose releasing both water and carbon dioxide,[3][4] giving fire retardant properties[5][6][7] to the materials in which they are incorporated.

[citation needed] Generally, fire retardants are dropped from aircraft or applied by ground crews around a wildfire's edges in an effort to contain its spread.

[15] Any fire retardant approved for use against wildfires on US Federal lands must be included on the United States Forest Service Qualified Products List.

[16] To be added to that list, the product must be tested by Wildland Fire Chemical Systems, a division of the National Technology and Development Program.

[20] Forest fire retardants that are used are generally considered non-toxic,[21] but even less-toxic compounds carry some risk when organisms are exposed to large amounts.

[23] The US Forest Service is the governing agency that conducts research and monitors the effect of fire retardants on wildland systems in the US.

Studies have also shown that a drop of the retardant chemical directly into a stream may cause a sufficient ammonia concentration in the water, which is lethal to fish and other aquatic organisms.

[26] Another notable health concern is that fire-suppressant foams are especially toxic to fish in standardized soft and hard water, possibly due to surfactants.