The flame retardant used to fight the Pantanal and Amazon fires requires a series of precautions in its application and should be used as a last resort, according to a June 2018 technical note from Ibama. Despite this, Ricardo Salles, Minister of the Environment, defends it as a solution.
One of the precautions recommended by the text is the suspension of "water consumption, fishing, hunting and consumption of fruits and vegetables in the region exposed to the product for 40 days, considering that the product breaks down by 80-90% in 28 days."
The text said, Fire Limit, a product used in Brazil, is biodegradable, is not composed of heavy metals, and has low toxicity to humans and certain aquatic species. Even so, the note states that, in addition to being considered as the last option in fighting forest fires, the use of the product in APAs (Permanent Preservation Areas), such as river banks, should be avoided, "thus reducing the risk of contamination. of aquatic ecosystems and possible places to collect water or fish for human consumption."
The document also specifies the minimum distances from bodies of water for applying the retardant, which vary from 30 meters to 500 meters.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon