Smoke emissions from forest fires may contain mutagenic compounds that can have damaging effects on human DNA – says a new polemical study conducted on forest fire smoke emissions. The researchers have claimed that the smoke released by forest fires may gene-altering substances – nitrogen-rich alkaloids – toxins naturally produced by trees and other plants.

In the study, the researchers from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, found nitrogen-rich alkaloids in the smoke released from fire that broke in Ponderosa pine trees in Missoula, Montana.

The team of researchers led by Alexander Liskin and Julia Laskin identified the major sources of organic compounds containing nitrogen in the smoke emitted from the fire. The researchers identified the smoke containing nitrogen compounds as alkaloids that are naturally occurring mutagens produced by the trees and other plants.

According to researchers, undoubtedly smoldering and low-temperature fires are responsible for more smoke emissions than higher-temperature wildfires, but alkaloids were found in all types of smoke emissions, which could have serious health effects.

The alkaloid presence has long been suspected in smoke, but the new study has also found the compounds in the smoke coming from blaze or high temperature fires.

"Some of them are really toxic. It's very well known that when cows, for example, eat pine needles they die. In a forest fire you emit aerosols into air that contain those same compounds," said Julia Laskin, a co-author on the study.

The researchers used a specialized device to collect ultra-fine particles from the smoke of a forest fire, and then they applied high-resolution mass spectrometry to detect the molecules in the particles.

According to Laskin, alkaloids can travel hundreds or even thousands of miles, and play significant role in cycling nitrogen through ecosystems, but they could be potentially harmful to health.  

The study has underscored the harmful effects of the large-scale outbreaks of fires in the Ponderosa pine trees in the western United States and Canada. The study has articulated that Ponderosa pine trees that often grow in droughty areas have high levels of alkaloids in their needles. The fire outbreaks releases the alkaloids from needles, into air in the form of tiny particles, which are transported by air. The study will be published in the June 1 edition of ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology.