Yesterday, the Tenerife Fire Department issued a statement stating that the measurement of contamination from the fire at the Arona composting plant – which has been burning since last Thursday – has not shown a significant presence of toxic products, only carbon monoxide in the deepest points. close to the fire, but without risk outside the affected area.
The Consortium thus responds to criticism from the union Comisiones Obreras (CC.OO.), which warned last Monday that there were “toxic substances” and that the personnel fighting the fire had “serious deficiencies” in their equipment.
Thus, it points out that there has been “continuous monitoring” of the smoke columns and their content, with specific weather forecasts for the area and pollution measurements carried out by Civil Guard teams (Tedax and NRBQ). [Nuclear, Radiológico, Biológico y Químico]).
The firefighters detail that in the extinguishing work three sectors have been established: one with piles of wood, mostly from pallets, and the other two with piles of a mixture of crushed wood from previous piles and green material (agricultural remains and gardening).
Thus, they point out that the combustion of these products generates mainly carbon dioxide and ash, and, to a much lesser extent, other chemical products of the vegetation, in such a way that “it is similar” to that produced in forest fires.
Regarding benzenes, formaldehydes, acrolein and ammonia, which CC.OO. has reported, they point out that they are more typical of fires involving textiles, plastics, petroleum derivatives and oils, and their presence in this fire “has been testimonial and limited at the initial moment of the fire.”
