I didn't look at the links yet but if you are talking about the pink/red fire retardant used on big wildfires that is usually something called PhosCheck - and yes, it is an environmental hazard. It has a high level of phosphate (or maybe it's phosphorus) in it which can burn vegetation and, if washed off by rain or gets into the watershed, can cause harm to marine life as well as damage to sewer treatment plants if it gets into the sewer system. So I imagine it can also be harmful to humans and other animals if inhaled or if it gets on the skin. But, while it seems like they use a lot if the stuff, it's generally in areas that are pretty remote (and the remnants can become diluted enough over time) to not be a problem. And even if it is used near people or gets into the watershed/on vegetation, it's still much less harmful and destructive then a fire, and the resulting possible toxic smoke and ash from burning homes and all the toxic stuff that are in homes and are used to build home. The foam stuff however, like Bae used for the (probably?) oil or gas fire to smother it, is safe and biodegradable. That's we used in the CG for oil fires on the water, on docks, oil rigs, and in our engine room and it was safe for the most part. Halon is also another chemical that is used to fight certain types of fires but not something used in large doses.Originally Posted by CathyA
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