Red Fire Retardant
This is from a home impacted by a near approach of a large
forest fire. The air drop of this material creates a
significant population of these particles though they represent a small fraction of
the mass of the total drop. This particle was charred by the
heat of the fire.
Transmitted Crossed Polarized Light
Definition/Function:
The red fire retardant dropped from airplanes on forest fires is a mixture of ammonium
phosphates, ammonium sulphates, pigment, a binding additive,
and other chemical compounds in a water based slurry. One common formulation is ammonium
polyphosphate, diammonium phosphate, monoammonium phosphate,
diammonium sulphate, iron oxide (hemetite) pigment, guar gum, and other "performance
additives". Other formulations are similar but may contain a
sub-set of these compounds and may be colored with a dye that fades with time.
Significance in the Environment:
Characteristic Features:
Associated Particles:
References:
